Tom Banton's 121 and a disciplined bowling display gave England a 135-run win over Australia in the second ODI in Adelaide, levelling the series at 1-1. England's 355-6 was their highest ODI total in Australia. Gus Atkinson's career-best 4-28 then dismantled the hosts.
Match Summary: Key Numbers
England recovered from a 131 all out in Perth two days earlier to post a commanding total. Australia were 29-4 inside seven overs and never recovered.
| Team | Score | Overs | Top Performers |
|---|
| England | 355-6 | 50 | Banton 121, Cox 67, Root 62, Jacks 54* |
| Australia | 220 all out | 44.3 | Green 64, Renshaw 63; Atkinson 4-28 |
The margin of 135 runs is a clear statistical contrast to the Perth defeat. It also ends a run of six consecutive 50-over defeats by Australia away from home.
Banton's Century Strengthens His Opening Case
Second ODI hundred in under three months
Banton made 121, his second ODI hundred after his first against Sri Lanka in September. He has been promoted to opener because of Jacob Bethell's knee injury.
In nine innings in the role he has four fifties and two hundreds. That conversion rate makes a strong argument for keeping the spot.
| Banton as ODI Opener | Value |
|---|
| Innings | 9 |
| Fifties | 4 |
| Hundreds | 2 |
| Score in Adelaide | 121 |
Most of his boundaries came from pulls into or over the leg side. He was hit on the helmet on 10 by Spencer Johnson but then targeted Adelaide's short square boundaries. Michael Vaughan noted that Banton 'has all the time, all the strokes' and plays spin well.
Partnerships that shaped the innings
Banton added 137 with Joe Root after Ben Duckett fell for nine. That stand steadied England after the Perth collapse and set up the late acceleration.
Late Acceleration Lifted the Total
England were 245-4 after 40 overs. They then scored 110 in the last 10 overs, a rate of 11.0 per over.
| Phase | Score | Run Rate |
|---|
| Overs 1-40 | 245-4 | 6.13 |
| Overs 41-50 | 110-2 | 11.00 |
| Final total | 355-6 | 7.10 |
Jordan Cox made 67 from 49 balls, a strike rate of 136.7, while Will Jacks added 54 not out. Cox is filling in for Jos Buttler and now has one more innings in this series to build his case.
Bowling Unit Delivers Where It Had Struggled
New-ball impact from Baker and Atkinson
England have often lacked early wickets. Sonny Baker, selected in place of Jamie Overton, found swing and removed captain Mitchell Marsh for two, caught by Root at slip.
Atkinson dismissed Travis Head for seven, the second match in a row he has taken that wicket. He also had Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis caught behind.
| Bowler | Figures | Key Wickets |
|---|
| Gus Atkinson | 4-28 | Head, Connolly, Inglis |
| Liam Dawson | 2-41 | Middle-order wickets |
| Sam Curran | 2 wickets in 2 balls | Included Jack Edwards |
| Sonny Baker | Early breakthrough | Mitchell Marsh |
Fielding remains a concern
England dropped four catches, including chances offered by Inglis, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green. Renshaw made 63 and Green 64, which stretched Australia's innings to 44.3 overs. Green was eventually out stumped after the ball deflected off Cox's shin onto the stumps.
Historical Context and Series Outlook
England had lost seven matches in a row against Australia across formats in Adelaide. They had also failed to defend 430 against Sri Lanka and lost to Pakistan after a last-wicket partnership.
Before the defeats in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Perth, England had won three ODI series this year. That swing in results makes the side difficult to assess.
| Context Metric | Detail |
|---|
| Highest ODI total in Australia | 355-6 |
| Losing run vs Australia in Adelaide | 7 matches (ended) |
| Away 50-over defeats vs Australia | 6 (ended) |
| Series status | 1-1 |
The series decider is in Hobart on Wednesday at 03:30 GMT. England will need repeatable performances, not just one strong match, to build a credible case ahead of next year's World Cup.