AUS vs ENG: Banton's ton, Atkinson's 4-fer power England to roaring 135-run win against Australia in 2nd ODI

England roared back from a dismal opening defeat to crush Australia by 135 runs in the second One-Day International at the Adelaide Oval, levelling the three-match series at 1-1 and setting up a winner-takes-all finale in Hobart.

England crush Australia by 135 runs in 2nd ODI 

Just 48 hours after being skittled for 131 in a seven-wicket hammering in Perth, Harry Brook’s side produced a dramatic turnaround. Anchored by a commanding century from opener Tom Banton (121 off 99 balls) and supported by brisk half-centuries from Joe Root, Jordan Cox, and Will Jacks, England piled up 355/6—their highest ODI total on Australian soil. Fast bowler Gus Atkinson then dismantled Australia’s top order with a career-best 4/28, leaving the hosts reeling at 29/4 before bowling them out for 220 in 44.3 overs.

Tom Banton runs riot with magnificent 121 to steer England to 355/6

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first under overcast skies on a green-tinged Adelaide surface, hoping to replicate the seam-friendly dominance his attack enjoyed in Perth. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson provided an early breakthrough in the fifth over, removing Ben Duckett for 9 with England at 19/1.

That dismissal, however, marked the end of Australia’s early control. Tom Banton and Joe Root combined for a measured, authoritative 137-run partnership for the second wicket off 136 deliveries. Banton balanced patience against disciplined new-ball spells with crisp strokeplay whenever the bowlers erred in length, particularly punishing anything short or on his pads. At the other end, Root rotated the strike effortlessly, bringing up his 70th ODI half-century and keeping the scoreboard ticking near six runs an over.

Part-time spinner Cooper Connolly finally broke the stand in the 28th over, dismissing Root for 62 (68 balls, five fours) to leave England at 156/2. Captain Harry Brook’s difficult tour continued when Riley Meredith bowled him for 5 in the 31st over, momentarily giving Australia hope at 175/3.

Unfazed, Banton pressed on to reach his second ODI century off 86 deliveries—marking his sixth score of fifty or more in his last eight innings. After surviving a sharp bouncer on the chin from Meredith, Banton accelerated ruthlessly, smashing back-to-back sixes before holing out to Cameron Green off Xavier Bartlett for 121 (99 balls, 16 fours, two sixes) in the 35th over with England on 212/4.

Late Surge Past 350

Rather than consolidating, England’s middle order unleashed a ferocious final-15-over assault that yielded 143 runs:

Jordan Cox (67 off 49 balls) and Will Jacks (54 off 40 balls)* stitched together a blistering 102-run stand for the fifth wicket.

After Bartlett (3/72) removed Cox in the 47th over and Sam Curran chipped in with a quick 14, Gus Atkinson walked out in the final over and struck boundaries over mid-wicket and long-off before Jacks carved the final ball for four.

England’s 355/6 eclipsed their previous highest ODI score in Australia and marked the first time Australia had ever conceded 350-plus in a men’s ODI on home soil.

Gus Atkinson’s new-ball blitz shatters Australia

Chasing 356—which would have required the highest successful run chase in ODI history in Australia—the hosts needed a rapid, composed start from their top order. Instead, their innings unravelled inside seven overs. 

Preferring rookie pacer Sonny Baker alongside Gus Atkinson with the new ball ahead of Jofra Archer paid immediate dividends. Atkinson extracted steep bounce and sharp seam movement off the pitch, while Baker generated late outswing.

Over 2.4: Atkinson broke through first, removing dangerous opener Travis Head with Australia on 13.
Over 2.6: Two balls later in the same over, Atkinson struck again to dismiss Cooper Connolly, plunging the hosts to 13/2.
Over 3.3: Sonny Baker joined the party in the very next over, finding the outside edge of captain Mitchell Marsh (2) for Joe Root to pouch a sharp catch at slip—leaving Australia reeling at 13/3.
Over 6.6: Atkinson returned to claim his third scalp, removing wicketkeeper Josh Inglis at the end of the seventh over to reduce Australia to a hopeless 29/4.

Renshaw and Green's brief resistance to no avail

With the required run rate climbing rapidly, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green attempted a rescue mission. Both batters rode their luck early—benefiting from dropped chances by an otherwise sharp England fielding unit—to compile gritty half-centuries in a 98-run fifth-wicket stand. 

However, the partnership could never bring the escalating rate under control. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson ended the resistance in the 26th over, trapping Renshaw lbw from around the wicket at 127/5.   

Lower-order collapse closes the contest for England

Any lingering Australian hopes evaporated in a decisive mid-innings burst from Sam Curran and Dawson:

Over 34.1 & 34.2: Curran deceived Jack Edwards with a clever slower ball to bowl him before trapping Xavier Bartlett lbw on the very next delivery, putting himself on a hat-trick as Australia slumped to 169/7.

Over 35.1: One over later, Dawson drew Cameron Green out of his crease to have him stumped, ending Australia’s last realistic batting threat at 173/8.

Gus Atkinson returned to clean up Adam Zampa (192/9), finishing with stellar figures of 4/28 from his 10 overs—the second-best ODI bowling figures by an Englishman at the Adelaide Oval behind Andrew Flintoff’s 4/21 in 2007. Jofra Archer (1/26) then delivered a trademark yorker to knock over Spencer Johnson in the 45th over, wrapping up Australia’s innings at 220 and sealing an emphatic 135-run victory.

Speaking after the match, England captain Harry Brook stated: