England captain Eoin Morgan said that Australia were “too good” for his side as the visitors secured a series win over his team with a record win at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey smashed centuries in a 212-run stand as Australia chased a record target of 303 at Old Trafford with two balls to spare and secure a series win over World Cup champion England on Wednesday.
It was a record ODI chase at the Manchester venue — bettering England’s 286-4 against New Zealand in 1986 in a 60-over match. It was a positive finish for the white-ball tour for the Australians, who were edged 2-1 by England in the preceding T20 series.
It didn’t go our way, but a great game to end a brilliant summer of cricket.#ENGvAUS
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 16, 2020
“We were still in the game (going into the last over). When you can break big partnerships and the ball is offering a little bit and it is probably getting more difficult to bat as the innings goes on, you’re never out of the game,” Eoin Morgan admitted.
“Having someone like Adil Rashid gives us that option as well, even when the game is getting away from us. But Australia, given their performance today, were too good for us.
“I think it started in the first over, losing two wickets for no runs and then post over 300 is a huge positive for us. I think Jonny Bairstow was outstanding today, well supported by Sam Billings and Chris Woakes again with the bat.
“Then we played our strongest team against a very good Australia team. One of the worries in just piling your best side in such a short period of time was that we might not function as well as we have in the past. I know we’ve not played our best but the character and resilience we’ve shown has been brilliant,” Morgan added.
Really proud of Maxwell, Carey: Finch
Australia skipper Aaron Finch was delighted and proud after the duo of Maxwell and Carey pulled off an unlikely win over the defending champions in the series decider. Finch also thanked England Cricket Board for organizing an amazing cricket tour amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Maxy is in the team to do a specific role, and that’s to be able to take the game away from the opposition but also be that guy to counterattack and swing momentum,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said.
“I don’t think there are many bowlers in the world that can trouble him when he is having one of those days. The way he navigated that innings and took it deeper and deeper … he did that perfectly.”
“We need someone to take the initiative, and we had two guys do that tonight, and I’m really proud of them. Thanks to the ECB and everyone who’s organized this and made this happen,” Finch added.
