Australia completed a 3-2 one-day international series victory over England with a 49-run win in a rain-shortened clash at Bristol on Sunday.
But an inexperienced England 50-over team gave the world champions a scare by levelling the series at 2-2 after a pair of thumping defeats.
Below AFP Sport looks at some of the taking points to have emerged from an intriguing campaign between the arch-rivals.
Head underlines his worth
Travis Head, having the time of his cricketing life after hundreds in both Australia’s World Test Championship and World Cup final wins over India last year, was a thorn in England’s side with both bat and ball.
Blessed with an admirable temperament, as well as skill, his match-winning 154 not out in the 1st ODI at Trent Bridge set him up for a series return of 248 runs at an average of nearly 83 in four innings.
Quite where opponents should bowl to left-handed opener Head in this kind of form is something of a mystery, with the 30-year-old demonstrating his value as a back-up spinner with an ODI-best 4-28 at Bristol.
Brook learning on the job
England stand-in captain Harry Brook was the leading run-scorer on either side this series with 312 runs in five innings at an average of 78, including a maiden and match-winning ODI century at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, an 87 that paved the way for a colossal 186-run success at Lord’s on Friday and 72 at Bristol.
By his own admission this series saw Brook discover the “tempo” for ODI batting, with Australia coach Andrew McDonald saying after the 25-year-old Yorkshireman’s 110 in Durham: “He’s going to give us some headaches over the journey.”
Although Brook was deputising as captain this series in place of the injured Jos Buttler, he demonstrated a feel for the job that suggested England might gain from appointing him as ODI skipper on a full-time basis.
He also learned a valuable lesson when, following England’s seven-wicket loss in the series opener, he tried to explain some loose dismissals by saying: “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field then who cares?
Brook, however, clearly cares about whether England win or lose.
Scheduling matters
Playing cricket in England this late in September was always going to be a risk, with three matches this series cut short by bad weather.
But while sports fans are used to braving the cold and wet for 90 minutes at a football match, it’s asking a lot for them to be exposed to similar conditions for hours on end, as happened repeatedly in a series featuring day/night games as well as Sunday’s chilly climax.
Brook, asked about a quick turnaround before he travels with England on Tuesday for a Test series in Pakistan, replied: “I’m alright with it. I’m off to a hot country. It’s bloody freezing here, it’s horrible.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board might do well to remember that many fans don’t have the option of flying away to a warmer climate.
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