Langer's resignation was confirmed on Saturday just a day on from a lengthy board meeting with Cricket Australia.
The news comes despite Langer having led Australia to T20 World Cup glory and an emphatic home Ashes series triumph in recent months, with the now former coach's intensity away from the pitch a seeming point of contention among the playing squad.
With Langer's time at an end, here is a look at some of his highs and lows in charge of Australia.
Lows:
White-ball whitewash to England
Just a month on from replacing Darren Lehmann in the aftermath of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, Langer endured a desperately disappointing white-ball tour of England. Australia were whitewashed 5-0 in the ODI series and lost by 28 runs in the solitary T20I as life without suspended duo Steve Smith and David Warner began in inauspicious fashion.
No home comforts against India
In January 2019, Langer and his team made unwanted history as Australia were subjected to a home Test series defeat to a side from Asia for the first time as India secured a 2-1 victory. Wins in the first and third Tests for the tourists had sandwiched a 146-run drubbing in the second, but when the fourth contest ended in a draw Virat Kohli and his team could celebrate a famous triumph.
More India woe
Two years on, Australia were in a stronger position against the same opposition with Smith and Warner having long-since returned from their international suspensions. Things started well when India were knocked over for a measly 36 in the second innings of the first Test en route to victory in Adelaide. But India levelled things up in the second match and, after a drawn third Test, were triumphant in the Brisbane decider as murmurs of discontent over Langer's leadership began.
Highs
Plenty of heart in England
Australia were pretty much ever presents in enemy territory during the English summer of 2019 and Langer's team showed signs of encouragement. A year on from the white-ball drubbings inflicted by England, Australia – buoyed by the return of Warner of and Smith – enjoyed a valiant run to the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup where they were beaten by the hosts. Soon after it was time for five-day cricket, and Australia retained the Ashes after a 2-2 drawn series. It was the first time they had avoided defeat in England since 2001.
Back on top of the world
By May 2020, Australia were well and truly back in their groove. Series wins on home soil against Pakistan and New Zealand saw them return to the number-one ranked team in Test cricket, while they also ascended to the top of the T20 rankings for the first time in their history.
World Cup glory
Australia were crowned T20 World Cup champions for the first time in the United Arab Emirates in November 2021, enjoying a dominant win over New Zealand – the same team they had defeated in the 2015 ODI World Cup showpiece – in the final. However, Langer himself admitted he had taken more of a backseat role for the tournament and the victory was said to have stemmed from a player-driven environment.
Ashes dominance
It has been less than a month since the end of a home Ashes series, which Australia completely dominated against a woeful England. The Aussies retained the urn in record-breaking time and only some valiant English defence in the fourth Test in Sydney denied the hosts a 5-0 whitewash. The build-up had not gone exactly to plan with captain Tim Paine having stood down amid an illicit-texting scandal, while new skipper Pat Cummins did not endorse Langer for a new contract during the series.
Smith was questioned after footage showed him standing at the crease and shaping up as if he was batting, including marking a guard, as India survived for a draw on the final day of the third Test in Sydney.
His actions at the crease forced India's Rishabh Pant to retake his own guard before play resumed, with the moment becoming a hot topic on Twitter.
But Langer hit out at the talk about Smith, who was sacked as Australia captain and banned for 12 months following the ball-tampering scandal during the tour of South Africa in 2018.
"I literally cannot believe some of the rubbish I read about Steve Smith, absolute load of rubbish," he told a news conference on Wednesday.
"If anyone knows Steve Smith, he's a bit quirky. We've all laughed about it for the last couple of years and I've spoken about it privately about how he's a bit quirky. What Steve Smith does at the crease, he does it probably most games, he's just thinking about the game.
"Anyone who suggests for one millisecond he was trying to do something untoward, way out of line, absolutely out of line. On that wicket, it was that flat, and it was like concrete, you need 15-inch spikes to make an indent on the crease and he went nowhere near the crease.
"I thought that was absolutely ludicrous and again in the last couple of years since he's been back, he has been exemplary on and off the field, he has let his bat do the talking, he was abused like I've never seen anything through England and he just kept smiling and letting his bat do the talking, give me a break, give me a break."
Australia captain Tim Paine, meanwhile, apologised on Tuesday for his behaviour during the third Test, including sledging Ravichandran Ashwin.
Langer backed Paine and said the 36-year-old would remain captain for the foreseeable future.
"You have no idea how much faith I've got in Tim Paine. He didn't have his best day, no doubt about that, but after three years, he has hardly put a hair out of place, he has been outstanding as the Australian captain, everything he does," he said.
"He had a frustrating day. We've got to cut him some slack surely. But having said that when you set a standard as high as he does and as we do, we understand we're going to get criticised when we fall below that, it's not what we're about.
"But Tim Paine, outstanding leader and will continue to be for some time to come yet. He has my 100 per cent support."
The series is locked at 1-1 ahead of the fourth Test starting in Brisbane on Friday.
Pucovski, 22, was named in a 17-man Test squad on Thursday, piling the pressure on Burns after scoring 495 runs at an average of 247.5 to begin the Sheffield Shield season.
Burns, meanwhile, has struggled, making just 57 runs in five innings to be in danger of losing his place for the first Test starting in Adelaide on December 17.
While Langer was full of praise for Pucovski, he is prepared to stick with what has helped Australia reach the top of the Test rankings.
Warner and Burns' partnerships have yielded 1,365 runs at an average of 50.55 for Australia in Tests.
"[Pucovski has] been amazing hasn't he? And it's exactly what we are looking for, I've said it for a very long time that we want guys who are outside of the team to bang so hard you can't ignore them," Langer told reporters on Friday.
"The fact is he's been so good we can't ignore him, he's been brilliant.
"That said I've also been consistent with the messaging that last summer we loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner, they have a real synergy, so at this point I'd say that will remain the same.
"But what Will's doing, what Cameron Green has done, is making a real statement through sheer weight of runs and that's always been a strong foundation for the strength of Australian cricket."
Langer said he wanted Australia to have consistency in their line-up, and he is prepared to back the players who currently hold their spots.
"We went through a period where there was lots of ins and outs, and in my view, we should back the guys in there," he said.
"That can change, but it's a pretty strong philosophy to stick to."
After a four-month break, Test cricket resumed on Wednesday with a rain-hit first day of England's behind-closed-doors match against West Indies in Southampton.
Australia were due to tour England for a white-ball series starting on July 3, with new dates for the rescheduled trip yet to be confirmed.
With the Twenty20 World Cup still due to be played in Australia in October, Langer believes the tour of England also has to be a priority.
"I think we have to go to England. There's lots of challenges, of course, but we have to find solutions to make sure that can happen if possible," Langer told reporters.
"That's my view. I think for the health of world cricket.
"If things out of control happen and we can't end up going, at least we can say we've done everything in our power to make it happen."
Langer also claimed Cricket Australia (CA) should be willing to let its star names – such as Steve Smith – play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with preparation for the T20 World Cup vital.
"I think we have to, talking frankly," said Langer, who would even let players leave if it meant them missing part of the domestic season in Australia.
"I'll always look for win-win situations and hopefully we do that when we get some clarity on what's happening with the schedule."
India will tour Australia later in 2020, with a four-Test series scheduled.
Hick was among 40 members of staff to be laid off by Cricket Australia on Wednesday in cost-cutting measures as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Former England batsman Hick had been on the coaching staff since 2016.
Australia head coach likened giving Hick the bad news to not being fully protected with former West Indies paceman Ambrose and Walsh charging in.
"Having to tell Graeme Hick yesterday morning was like facing Ambrose and Walsh without a helmet and a box on," Langer said.
"He's become a really good mate, his work ethic is second to none, his experience as a cricket person and his integrity, you couldn't meet a nicer person.
"We're going to have to lead a smaller staff but we'll get the job done and we'll be ready when cricket resumes.
"[The players] have been supported brilliantly for a long time and there's no reason they won't be able to be supported equally as well."
Langer says Australia are preparing to return to the field in September, but he stated it is too early to commit to a tour of England.
"I'm not sure when the soonest is. There's obviously complexities to all these things," the former opening batsman added.
"Same with England. I'd imagine it's really important for English cricket that the Australian cricket team goes there if we can. But it's not as simple as that.
"With isolation periods and preparation then when we come back [and] when the ICC make the decision in July about the World Cup.
"Then if the IPL is going on, there's so many moving parts at the moment. What I know is we'll focus on being ready for early September."
Alyssa Healy smashed 75 from 39 balls and opening partner Beth Mooney top-scored with an unbeaten 78 as Australia posted 184-4 in Melbourne, a total that proved well beyond India's reach as they were all out for 99 in reply.
However, while they triumphed by the huge margin of 85 runs in the final, it had not always been plain sailing for Lanning and her squad during the tournament.
They lost to India in their opening match in the group stage and, already without Tayla Vlaeminck due to a fractured foot, were dealt a further blow when Ellyse Perry suffered a hamstring injury against New Zealand.
The duo were still present for the victory over India on Sunday, taking part in the celebrations after Australia were crowned champions for a fifth time in front of a crowd of 86,174 - a new record for a women's cricket match and a female sporting event in Australia.
"I'm just really proud of this group of players and staff," Lanning said at the presentation ceremony.
"We've had everything thrown at us, ups and downs. It was tough, definitely, especially after we lost that first game. There was a lot of expectation on us, inside and out.
"There were definitely some tough times in there, but we stuck with each other, had each other's backs.
"Coming in they [the injured players] were a big part of our plans, we had to go to plan B and C.
"It's been massive, 86,000 people at the MCG, I've never seen it before and didn't think I'd be part of it in the middle."
India were left to rue missed opportunities in the field - Healy was dropped by Shafali Verma in the first over, while they also put down a chance off Mooney during a pivotal 115-run opening stand.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur hopes her players will learn from the experience after reaching the final of the T20 event for the first time.
"We need to focus, especially in fielding," she said. "But I trust this team. It's part of the game, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You have to keep learning.
"If we talk about the last T20 World Cup, we got to the semi-finals, and this time to the final. I think we're on the right path.
"Every year we are improving. We just need to think of how we play with focus in the main games. Sometimes we don't manage that."
At Melbourne's Junction Oval, a Ricky Ponting XI beat an Adam Gilchrist XI by one run, with superstar line-ups turning out in support of the relief effort.
Former Australia captain Ponting made 26 from 14 balls and West Indies great Lara plundered 30 in the 10-overs-a-side match, as the Ponting XI made 104-5 from their allocation.
In the reply, Gilchrist scored 17 before he was bowled by former Australian rules star Luke Hodge, before Shane Watson cracked three sixes in a nine-ball 30 and Andrew Symonds added 29.
Ponting, Lara, Watson and Symonds all retired to give others a chance to shine in the charity contest, which saw bowlers including Peter Siddle, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Dan Christian come in for some uncharitable treatment from batsmen.
Brett Lee's 2-11 from two overs bucked the trend, as the former Baggy Green paceman took the wickets of Gilchrist XI stars Brad Hodge and Yuvraj Singh.
Tendulkar, who was named coach of the Ponting XI, made a crowd-pleasing cameo between innings when he faced an over shared by Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland.
The Gilchrist XI then needed five from the final ball of their 10 overs, but ex-Aussie rules footballer Nick Riewoldt, attempting to club a six, could only scramble a three to leave his team just short on 103-6.
Cricket Australia centred the match around its Big Appeal campaign, with television coverage taking the match to a large audience, and its fundraising was boosted by an online auction.
At least 33 people died in Australia's bushfire crisis, with wildlife taking the brunt and homes and large areas of land being destroyed.
In one of a few instances the batting star was not greeted by applause and gestures of widespread adoration on his sojourn to the crease, Lara was booed by the Sabina Park crowd when strode out for the second Test of the 1999 Australia tour of the West Indies.
During a tumultuous period for the Windies, the issue for some home fans stemmed from what they believed to be disrespect shown to bowling legend Courtney Walsh in what they deemed to be a hostile takeover of the captaincy by the Trinidadian. Walsh, who was appointed captain in 1994, served as captain for 22 Test matches before being replaced by Lara in 1998. On the back of a heavy loss to Australia in the first Test and having also previously been whitewashed by South Africa, The Prince found himself occupying the unusual status of public enemy.
His response, a classy, shot-filed 213, which would go on to underpin a massive 10 wicket win at Sabina Park to level the series, it must be said, went a long way in lightening the mood.
“Everyone says the 153 was second maybe to Sir Don Bradman’s (Against England at Melbourne in 1936-1937), maybe post-war, one of the better innings, but a week before that I was in Jamaica where we played against Australia in that second Test match,” Lara told 7Cricket.
“We came off scoring 51 in the fourth innings in Trinidad and I stood there in Jamaica, I was given the captaincy for two Test matches, on probation, never before had that happened in the history of West Indies cricket…that 213 in Jamaica was for me (special) in terms of not just batsmanship but my inner strength to come out of that situation I was in,” he went on.
“I was facing expulsion as the captain, of course, I was going to be playing, the captaincy was not that important to me that I wouldn’t play, but the threat of the expulsion and the fact that everyone was sort of jeering against me, in the Caribbean, was just unbelievable.”
Gomes, 66, played 60 Tests for the West Indies between June 1976 when he made his debut against England and March 1987 when he played his last Test against New Zealand. He scored 3171 at a decent average of 39.63, amassing nine centuries and 13 half-centuries along the way.
However, his knock of 123 against India, he says, was perhaps his best.
“The one that stands out for me would be the one in Trinidad. If you remember, we were three wickets down with one run with Gordon, Desmond and Viv back in the pavilion, and then I came in and together with Clive and we put on 200-plus run for the fourth wicket. I think that hundred stands out because we had to build back that innings and we got a respectable total,” said Gomes who now lives in Canada while speaking on Mason and Guest in Barbados on Tuesday night.
“That was more refreshing.”
In the match played from March 11-16, Gomes scored (123) and Captain Clive Lloyd (143) as the pair shared in a stand of 237. Gomes batted for 446 minutes and faced 333 balls in his obdurate knock that included only 12 boundaries.
Jeffrey Dujon (31), Michael Holding 24 and Joel Garner, an unbeaten 21, helped the West Indies to 394 in reply to India’s first innings of 175.
The match ended in a draw as Mohinder Armanath (117) set the stage for strong Indian second innings that saw Kapil Dev smash 100 from just 95 balls with 13 fours and three sixes as India piled up 469 for 7. Yasphal Sharma contributed an even 50 to the mammoth total.
Gomes took 1 for 45 as the West Indies fast bowlers toiled on the docile Queens Park Oval pitch.
Gomes said he will always remember his first Test century. He scored that one against Australia at the Bourda Oval in Guyana in 1978. Jamaica’s Basil ‘Shotgun’ Williams also scored a century in that match.
Batting first the West Indies scored 205. Gomes scored only 4 as Jeff Thompson and Wayne Clark taking four wickets each.
Australia replied with 286, their captain Bobby Simpson top-scoring with 67.
Batting a second time Gomes scored 101, Williams 100 and Sew Shivnarine 63 as the West Indies posted a total of 439.
However, Graeme Wood (126) and Craig Serjeant (124) laid steered Australia to 362 for 7 and a three-wicket victory over the West Indies.
Cross atoned for dropping Phoebe Litchfield minutes into the fourth morning by uprooting the off-stump of the Australia opener, out leaving for the second time in the match on her Test bow.
England debutant Filer, meanwhile, accounted for the highly-rated Ellyse Perry and then took out the leg stump of Tahlia McGrath, but Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 73 helped to lift Australia to 157 for three.
Mooney put on 99 with Litchfield (46) and 50 with Perry (25) and was the beneficiary of being dropped on 55 as Nat Sciver-Brunt, having only bowled five overs in the first innings before a sore knee, spilled a difficult return catch with her first delivery in Australia’s second dig.
Despite Tammy Beaumont’s historic double century on Saturday, Australia had edged ahead through Mooney and Litchfield, who outlined her intentions on the penultimate morning with an uppish drive at Sophie Ecclestone. She was reprieved after Cross spilled a simple waist-high chance at extra cover.
Cross required strapping on her left thumb but was able to continue bowling, and the England seamer’s drop proved not to be too costly as she got a delivery to jag back alarmingly towards Litchfield, who offered no shot and lost her off stump.
There was movement and spin in sunny and blustery conditions but England were largely unable to take advantage. Mooney offered a sharp caught and bowled chance after passing 50 but Sciver-Brunt could not cling on in her follow-through despite getting both hands to the ball.
Heather Knight’s off-spin drew the outside edge of Perry on 21 but the ball flew between wicketkeeper and slip, but the talismanic Australia all-rounder’s luck ran out soon after as, leaning back and shaping to cut, she merely inside edged on to her stumps.
Cheered on by the Nottingham crowd, Filer struck in her next over as a fuller, pacy delivery proved too much for McGrath, whose leg stump was flattened, in a second successive wicket maiden for the England youngster.
Scotland have never beaten Australia in any format, though they came close to a stunning upset in the group stage of the T20 World Cup in June, eventually losing out by five wickets.
The Scots also looked set to upset at-the-time reigning champions England in the tournament, only to be denied the chance by torrential rain as the match was abandoned.
Given a rare opportunity to face one of cricket's powerhouses outside global events, Leask is keen to prove that Scotland have what it takes to go up against the big teams.
"It's lovely to have Australia on our home patch, especially for three games," Leask told BBC Scotland.
"It's an exciting opportunity for our guys, given what happened at the World Cup and how close we came.
"We've got a very exciting squad that’s ready for the challenge - it is going to be a challenge - they are some of the best in the world for a reason, but they are on our home patch.
"We're targeting a series win and that would be the icing on the cake of what has been a very good summer."
Meanwhile, despite being firm favourites to win the series, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh is not going to take anything for granted against Scotland.
Marsh is leading a new-look Australia side, with Matthew Wade and the now-retired David Warner unable to be called on.
Despite their strong record against Scotland, he believes they will be in for a tough test at The Grange.
"Scotland were well drilled [at the World Cup], certainly up for the challenge, and it was a great game of cricket," Marsh said. "I'm sure there will be more of that over the next few days.
"It's spoken about it a lot, but Scotland are a good cricket team, and they have improved a lot.
"The more cricket that teams like Scotland can play against the bigger nations, the better it is for the world game.
"It's our responsibility as players to keep growing the game, so I certainly hope they get more opportunities over the next period of time."
The first of the three T20Is will take place on Wednesday.
Lehmann was on the Gold Coast watching his son, Jake, captain a Cricket Australia XI against the England Lions on the Gold Coast when he suffered chest pains.
The ex-Australia batsman, who turned 50 on Wednesday, is recovering in hospital and will be operated on this weekend.
Lehmann said: "I would like to thank everyone in the Australian cricket family for their concern.
"I am receiving the best of medical care and am confident I'll be back on my feet soon."
Lehmann, who has been coaching Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, took time out from his role as Australia coach in January 2016 after he was hospitalised with deep vein thrombosis.
Sixteen wickets fell on a captivating second day at Holkar Cricket Stadium, where the tourists collapsed to 197 all in reply to India's 109.
Ravichandran Ashwin (3-44) and Umesh Yadav (3-12) took Australia's last six wickets for only 11 runs to seemingly leave the game in the balance.
With sharp turn and variable bounce to contend with, Cheteshwar Pujara made 59 but India were skittled out for 163 in their second innings in Indore, Lyon claiming a magnificent 8-64 to leave Australia facing only a small run chase to make it 2-1.
Ashwin ended a stand of 40 by removing Peter Handscomb (19) after Australia resumed on 156-4 and Umesh trapped Cameron Green leg before in the next over.
Umesh cleaned up Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy as the tourists folded after the drinks break, with Ashwin on the money as he struck Alex Carey in front, before bowling Lyon to end the innings in a flash.
Starting their second innings with a deficit of 88, India lost openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma bowled and lbw respectively to the excellent Lyon.
Virat Kohli followed for only 13 after being struck on the pad in front of middle stump attempting to pull a Matthew Kuhnemann delivery that kept low and India were 78-4 when Lyon sent Ravindra Jadeja trudging off.
Shreyas Iyer made a brisk 25 before falling to Mitchell Starc and Lyon continued to apply the pressure, seeing the back of Srikar Bharat and Ashwin.
Pujara stood firm for a battling half-century but his knock was ended when Steve Smith produced a brilliant diving catch at leg slip for the relentless Lyon, who dismissed Umesh and Mohammed Siraj without scoring to clean up the India innings.
Ashwin into the top three
The 36-year-old Ashwin took his incredible tally of international wickets to 689 in his 269th match to become India's third-highest wicket-taker across all formats.
He surpassed the great Kapil Dev's haul of 687 in all formats for India, making the most of the conditions after Jadeja (4-78) had taken all four wickets for India on day one.
Only Anil Kumble (953) and Harbhajan Singh (707) have claimed more scalps for India in all formats combined.
Lyon Australia's spin king
It was Kuhnemann who starred for the tourists by claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in only his second Test on day one, but fellow spinner Lyon was the main man on Thursday.
He bowled with great guile and control, helping himself taking his 23rd haul in the longest format after picking up three wickets on day one.
Lyon now has more wickets against India across all formats than any other Australia bowler after moving past Brett Lee's total of 111, having claimed his second eight-wicket haul in India.
Batting at the top of the order, Lewis smashed 79 from 34 balls, including four fours and nine sixes to get the West Indies off to a flying start after captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss.
Lewis fell at 124-3 at the end of the 11th over, before Andrew Tye took three late wickets while Mitch Marsh impressed again with 12-2.
Pooran (31 from 18) and Chris Gayle (21 from seven) contributed as the West Indies amassed an imposing 199-8, although Australia started brightly in reply led by Marsh.
Marsh came to the crease after opener Josh Philippe fell for one, hitting five fours and one six, before falling off Andre Russell's first ball for 30 from 15 deliveries.
A visibly limping Aaron Finch was spectacularly caught by Fabian Allen with a diving left-hand effort for 34 from 23 off the impressive Hayden Walsh who took the most wickets in the series.
Wickets continued to fall with regularity as Andre Russell finished with a personal T20I best 43-3.
LEWIS PUSHES WORLD CUP CASE
Lewis was dropped after a duck in the opening T20I, before returning with 31 in Wednesday's dead rubber.
But the 29-year-old Trinidadian showcased his ability with a stunning knock on Friday setting the tone for the hosts.
The left-hander is one of the West Indies' players vying for a spot in their final T20 World Cup squad and did his hopes no harm, in a side missing several key players including Kieron Pollard.
Lewis said post-game: "I basically stayed still and watched the ball on to the bat. It's always good to score runs and contribute to the team to get the victory."
The Trinidadian's only two T20I centuries both came in 2017. He added: "I've been working hard from 2017 to now. Obviously, I want to keep scoring runs and cashing in at all times."
MARSH PROVES SHINING LIGHT
Australia lost the series 4-1 with Marsh their shining light from the five-game T20I series, producing another display of his quality in the shortest format on Friday.
Marsh took 12-2 from two overs and crunched 30 from 15, finishing the series with 219 runs at 43.8 with a strike rate above 150.
The big all-rounder also hit 10 sixes throughout the series, double the next best Australian, while he also hit a team-high 20 fours.
Marsh also chipped with the ball, taking a team-high eight wickets, including 24-3.
Finch said: "I think Mitch Marsh stood out with his first opportunity at number three consistently and the role that he did with the ball."
Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and a blistering batting display from Liam Livingstone sent England on their way before Matthew Potts starred with the ball in hand.
After a relatively quiet start to the top order that saw Phil Salt (22) and Will Jacks (10) fall early, Brook quickly found his rhythm, cruising to a 37-ball half-century.
Duckett's 63 runs from 62 deliveries, coupled with Brook (87), saw England take control, but the pair were dismissed within eight overs of each other.
However, a late onslaught ensued when Livingstone was welcomed to the crease, notching an unbeaten 62 runs from 27 deliveries, a knock that included seven sixes, four of which came as he took 28 off the last over of the innings from Mitchell Starc.
With England ending on 312-5, Australia started their chase strongly, but the wickets of Mitchell Marsh (28), Travis Head (34) and Steve Smith (five) within four overs started the tourists' collapse.
Australia crumbled from 68-0 to 126 all out in 24.4 overs, with Potts (4-38) doing most of the damage, with Adil Rashid (1-11) sealing the win with the wicket of Josh Hazlewood to force a decider in Bristol on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Livingstone leads comeback
In a game that saw a number of standout performers, Livingstone's display with the bat broke ODI records for matches at Lord's.
The Lancashire spin bowler's 25-ball half-century was the fastest seen at Lord's, while England's 12 sixes is a new record in an ODI encounter at the home of cricket.
The triumph also saw England produce their second-highest winning margin against Australia when batting first in the ODI's, with their 242-run victory at Trent Bridge in 2018 the only game they have won by a larger gap.
Australia had put themselves in a strong position to take the series in their 200th men's T20I, but had no answer for Livingstone during England's chase.
Travis Head and Matt Short opened with a 52-run partnership, but Adil Rashid bowled the former before catching out the latter to end their stand.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (50) and Josh Inglis (42) pushed the tourists forward, but Livingstone (2-16) and Brydon Carse (2-26), in for the rested Jofra Archer, soon stalled their progress.
Aaron Hardie's late burst of 20 gave Australia a strong tally of 193-6, and they started strongly with the ball, too.
Short (5-22) ended Phil Salt's stand at 39 before Will Jacks (12) and Jordan Cox (0) were both dismissed by Sean Abbott in a single over.
But Livingstone would prove a thorn in Australia's side once again as he hit his half-century off 27 balls before carrying England closer to their total.
There was a slightly nervy ending, as England, needing just one run off nine balls, lost Livingstone and Carse in two balls before Adil Rashid got them over the line.
Data Debrief: Livingstone hits landmark
England have taken it to the final T20I thanks to Livingstone's heroics, with the series all to play for at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Livingstone's 87 is the highest score for England in a successful chase when batting four or lower, and he did so on his fifth T20I appearance for England.
The world number one-ranked Australia will host the Windies in two-matches. The first of the games will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth, beginning on Wednesday 30th.
The public’s interest in the series, however, remains lacklustre to date. According to reports, just hundreds of tickets have been sold to members of the public, so var, well below the stadium’s capacity of the 60,000. There now are concerns the series could set a record low vor Test mathes between the teams.
Australia batsman Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne does not believe the low turnout is an overall lack of interest but believes there may be some fatigue in the fanbase.
The country is fresh off a huge T20 World Cup on home soil and went straight into a three-game ODI series against England.
The off-spinner comes into the squad for the final two matches of the series, which India lead after Friday's 11-run victory.
With Ashton Agar injured and Cameron Green released to play for Australia A against India A starting on Sunday, Lyon was added to the squad.
The 33-year-old last played a T20 for Australia in October 2018, and he has played just twice in the shortest format, taking one wicket at 48.
However, Lyon has taken 54 wickets at 20.51 in domestic T20s.
Mitchell Swepson (1-21) and Adam Zampa (1-20) were both part of Australia's attack in the opening T20.
Australia are still waiting for the results of scans for captain Aaron Finch, who hurt his hip or glute in the series opener.
India will be without Ravindra Jadeja (concussion) for the rest of the series after his heroics with the bat in the opening game, with Shardul Thakur added to their squad.
The second game of the series is in Sydney on Sunday.
Asitha Fernando dismissed Pat Cummins and Mitchell Swepson in the second over of the day to bowl the tourists out for 321 at the Galle International Stadium on Friday.
That gave the World Test Championship leaders a 109-run advantage and they were only just required to bat again, as Sri Lanka were skittled out for only 113 in a second innings that lasted only 22.5 overs.
Australia were set five to win and David Warner struck Ramesh Mendis for four and then a six to give them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Dimuth Karunaratne, who top scored with 23, and Pathum Nissanka combined for an opening stand of 37, but that proved to be a false dawn as they endured an almighty collapse on a miserable day in which they lost Angelo Mathews to COVID-19.
Lyon (4-31) had captain Karunaratne caught behind and Swepson trapped Nissanka (14) leg before prior to Kusal Mendis falling to Australia's premier spinner.
Swepson (2-34) had Oshada Fernando – drafted in to replace Mathews – caught by Steve Smith in the slips before part-time spinner Head, who had not previously taken a Test wicket, got in on the act.
Head generated sharp turn from outside off stump to bowl Dinesh Chandimal and got rid of Dhananjaya de Silva in his next over as the procession of wickets continued.
Sorry Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 18 runs, Lyon adding another two to his tally to claim nine for the match and Head making a case that he should bowl more often as he finished with brilliant figures of 4-10.
Lyon moves into top 10
Sri Lanka were unable to handle Lyon, who finished with match figures of 9-121.
That moved the tweaker into the top 10 on the list of the all-time highest Test wicket-takers with 435, level with India legend Kapil Dev.
Sri Lanka's batting woes come to a Head
Batter Head sent down 228 deliveries in his Test career without taking a wicket before he stepped up to resemble a frontline spinner on a dramatic third day.
He picked up his four scalps in only 2.5 overs, adding insult to injury on a nightmare day for Sri Lanka.
Lyon overcame a bloodied thumb and two dropped catches to claim figures of 5-68 in Sydney, where the embattled Kiwis were dismissed for 251 on Sunday.
After skittling New Zealand late in the final session, David Warner (23 not out) and Joe Burns (16 not out) guided Australia to 40-0 and a lead of 243 runs at stumps.
New Zealand returned to the SCG at 63-0, with Tom Latham and Tom Blundell at the crease in reply to Australia's 454, however, it was another difficult morning for the tourists.
Lyon bowled Blundell before the New Zealand batsman could add to his overnight score of 34 and the Australia spinner struck again – trapping Jeet Raval (31) lbw.
Pat Cummins (3-44) joined the wicket-takers in the following over when his delivery to stand-in captain Lathan (49) was caught by Mitchell Starc as the Black Caps were 141-3 at lunch.
Debutant Glenn Phillips dug deep for New Zealand, who have tried to restore some pride having already lost the trans-Tasman series, but he had little support in the middle session.
Cummins trapped Ross Taylor (22) lbw, BJ Watling (9) was bundled over by fellow paceman Starc and Colin de Grandhomme (20) was run out prior to tea.
Phillips, who was twice dropped by Lyon, celebrated a half-century before he was bowled by Cummins, with Lyon cleaning up the tail – William Somerville (0), Neil Wagner (0) and Matt Henry (3) sent back to the pavilion.
That brought Australia out to bat again, and Warner and Burns negotiated a tricky 16-over spell to put the hosts firmly in control ahead of the penultimate day.
