Australia spinners hit back after Duckett ton

Ben Duckett continued to enjoy life as an England opener in ODIs as he notched up his second century in the format. He and Harry Brook put together an important partnership of 132 runs in 16.2 overs but the Aussie spin troika of Travis Head, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell hit back to keep England from posting a mammoth total. The hosts still went past the 300-run mark, thanks to Adil Rashid who scored a handy 36 off 35 and added 33 runs with Olly Stone for the final wicket.

Amidst gloomy conditions in Bristol, Phil Salt made a part-streaky, part-stylish start to England's innings after Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith sent the hosts in first. Salt started and ended the first over with two cover drives, and had one go beyond second slip's reach off the toe-end of his bat in the middle. He and Duckett made a breezy start until an eventful Aaron Hardie over in the seventh.

Salt smashed two successive sixes and a four, but reached out for more to a full delivery outside off-stump and hit it straight to Marnus Labuschagne at deep point. Duckett kept the tempo up, clinching three fours off Hazlewood in the following over but Hardie struck again to clean up Will Jacks for a four-ball duck. Australia's bowlers would've felt they had things under control following the two wickets but Brook had other intentions. He started cautiously but Zampa's introduction into the attack was the cue for him to tee off.

He smashed the first of his seven sixes in the 15th over and kick-started the pivotal partnership with Duckett. Brook needed just 52 balls for his 72 - that also included three fours, and in the process amassed most runs as captain in a bilateral ODI series against Australia (312). This was also his third consecutive half-century. The pair took England past the 200-run mark in just the 25th over but then came the downward spiral, initiated by Zampa.

The leggie, who had already been thumped for two more sixes by Brook, tossed another one up and succeeded as Brook holed out to long-off. Maxwell soon breached Jamie Smith's defence and Liam Livingstone fell to Zampa, leaving England five down for 216. Duckett then became Head's first wicket of the evening - he too fell trying and failing to clear long-off. Head then had Jacob Bethell stumped and trapped Brydon Carse leg before in two successive overs. Maxwell then reduced England down to 276 for 9 with the wicket of Matthew Potts. At this stage, Australia were set to chase a sub-300 total to clinch the series, only for Rashid to deny the visitors that in the company of Stone. The final-wicket pair dragged the innings till the last over where Head dismissed Rashid to finish with a four-fer.

Brief Scores: England 309 in 49.2 overs (Ben Duckett 107, Harry Brook 72; Travis Head 4-28, Glenn Maxwell 2-49, Adam Zampa 2-74) vs Australia