Australia clinched a 49-run victory on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the final ODI against England to seal a 3-2 series win.
Having won the third and fourth ODIs to tee up a grandstand finish to the series in Bristol, England started well on Sunday.
England, inspired by Ben Duckett's second ODI century and Harry Brook (72), looked well set after storming to 202 before the latter was dismissed.
Yet the hosts slipped from 202-3 to 238-6 in less than 10 overs, with Duckett going for 107, and though Adil Rashid (36) steadied the ship, Australia were set a manageable target of 310 to win.
In total, eight wickets fell for 107 runs, all of them to spin, with Travis Head (4-28) doing the damage for the tourists, who subsequently set about making inroads into the target.
Head reached 31 from 26 balls before he was dismissed by Brydon Carse (1-36) in the eighth over, while Matthew Short had plundered his way to 58 by the time he was sent packing in the 13th.
Steve Smith (36 not out) and Josh Inglis (28 not out) subsequently took control before the rain closed in with Australia on 165-2 with 29 overs remaining, leaving them clear winners once DLS came into play.
Data Debrief: England's comeback falls short
The weather ultimately frustrated England, but they only have themselves to blame for another batting collapse.
England have slipped to their first defeat in an ODI series of four games or more since a 3-2 loss to South Africa in February 2016, while this loss also snapped a run of three straight 50-over wins at the County Ground.
Australia, meanwhile, clinched their first win in an ODI series of at least four games since they beat Pakistan 5-0 in 2019.
Nicholas Pooran breaks Mohammad Rizwan's record for most T20 runs in a calendar year
Trinidadian wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran has etched his name in T20 cricket history by surpassing Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan for the most runs scored in a calendar year in T20 cricket. Pooran achieved this milestone on Friday, September 27, during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, where he scored 27 off 15 balls for Trinbago Knight Riders in a match against Barbados Royals at the Brian Lara Stadium, Trinidad.
Pooran, 28, has accumulated 2,059 runs in T20 cricket in 2024, eclipsing Rizwan’s previous record of 2,036 runs set in 2021. While Rizwan reached his total in 45 innings at an average of 56.66 with one century and 18 fifties, Pooran has achieved his record-breaking tally with a faster strike rate of 160.63 compared to Rizwan’s 132.03. Pooran’s runs have come from across the globe, representing several franchises such as Durban Super Giants, Lucknow Super Giants, MI Emirates, MI New York, Northern Superchargers, Rangpur Riders, Trinbago Knight Riders, and the West Indies.
Despite his prolific run-scoring, Pooran is yet to notch a century in 2024, though he has come close with multiple scores in the 90s. He has, however, managed to rack up 14 fifties, underlining his consistency and ability to score quickly across formats. His overall average for the year stands above 42, solidifying his place as one of the most dangerous batsmen in T20 cricket today.
Pooran’s remarkable feat comes as no surprise, considering his explosive form in recent months. In the CPL 2024 alone, he has already amassed 312 runs from nine innings at an average of 39, with two fifties and an impressive strike rate of 175.28. His aggressive style of play and ability to take apart bowling attacks has been a standout feature, making him a key player in all his teams.
This is the third time Pooran has crossed the 1,000-run mark in T20 cricket in a calendar year, having previously achieved the milestone in 2019 and 2023. His consistency in the shortest format of the game has solidified his reputation as one of the world’s top T20 batsmen.
In comparison, Rizwan’s record-breaking year in 2021 saw him playing for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Multan Sultans, and Pakistan, while Pooran’s 2024 exploits have spanned various leagues and teams. The two players’ contrasting styles are evident, with Pooran’s superior strike rate emphasizing his power-hitting abilities.
Pooran currently leads the T20 run charts for 2024 by a significant margin, with South Africa's Reeza Hendricks in second place with 1,555 runs from 47 innings, followed by Pakistan’s Babar Azam with 1,480 runs from 35 innings, and Australian opener Travis Head with 1,442 runs from 39 innings.
Pooran’s record-breaking achievement was capped off with Trinbago Knight Riders securing a 30-run victory over Barbados Royals, further cementing his role as one of the most influential players in the ongoing CPL season. As the year progresses, Pooran will undoubtedly look to build on his remarkable form and add more milestones to his already stellar T20 career.
Sri Lanka make light work of New Zealand to complete series sweep
Sri Lanka won by an innings and 154 runs in the second Test against New Zealand to complete a 2-0 series clean sweep.
The tourists fought hard on day four in Galle, but despite the efforts of Tom Blundell (60), Glenn Phillips (78) and Mitchell Santner (67), Sri Lanka got the job done in emphatic fashion.
Having been skittled all out for 88 in their first innings, chasing Sri Lanka's mammoth total of 602-5, New Zealand at least showed more fighting spirit on Sunday.
Sri Lanka simply had too much, though, with New Zealand bowled out for 360 when Santner's stand came to an end.
Debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris sent Santner packing, and he took a starring role with 6-170 across the Black Caps' second innings, while he had earlier dismissed Phillips and Blundell.
Prabath Jayasuriya (3-139) helped round things off, as Sri Lanka claimed their third straight Test victory.
Elsewhere, there was no play on day three of India's second Test against Bangladesh due to a wet outfield.
Data Debrief: Back-to-back against the Black Caps
Sri Lanka have clinched back-to-back Test victories against New Zealand since November 2012.
They have also now won five of their last six Tests at Galle International Stadium, with their only defeat in that span coming against Pakistan in 2023.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have now won just one of their last 11 Tests on the road (D3 L6), with that victory coming in Bangladesh last December.
'Frustrated' Schmidt eager to improve after disappointing Rugby Championship
Australia coach Joe Schmidt is determined to build on a disappointing Rugby Championship after being "frustrated" by their 33-13 defeat to New Zealand.
The Wallabies made a strong start on Saturday but found themselves trailing at the break after a topsy-turvy first half, and failed to get a single point on the board in the second as the All Blacks stretched their lead.
It was their ninth consecutive loss to New Zealand, who also beat them 31-28 in round five, and they have now won only one of their last six Test matches, losing the other five after making an unbeaten start under Schmidt.
Australia finished last in the four-nation tournament, with Schmidt rueing some of their missed chances after they slumped in the second half.
"I thought we created a few things early but what we had a lot of frustration [about] in that first half was slow ball," said Schmidt on Stan Sport.
"We were digging the ball out from amongst bodies on our side and that was really frustrating because it broke our rhythm.
"We started really strongly, got that try and then missed a couple of chances. They connect so well back off the sideline a couple of times, running back laterally and then connecting up with square runners.
"But just talking to Scott Barrett there, we made them work for it, and we're going to keep working for ourselves and make sure opponents do have to work for anything they get, and we try to get a little bit more."
Australia's tour in November, which includes Tests against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the nations that contribute players to the Lions, is next up, and Schmidt is looking forward to their next challenge.
"It's a bit like when we come up against the All Blacks, you know it's going to be a really tough tour.
"But if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in a position of potentially being competitive next July [against the Lions]."
Meanwhile, New Zealand's victory was their first in Wellington since June 2018, ending a five-game winless run in the capital.
They made a slow start to the game before rallying to a dominant comeback win, but captain Scott Barrett was just happy to triumph in Wellington.
"Really pleased to reverse the curse," All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett said.
"We didn't start too well, but I'm really pleased with how we finished: some grit in defence, and we held out the Aussies."
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