Australia v England, 2013-14
Wisden's review of the fourth ODI, Australia v England, 2013-14
Vithushan Ehantharajah
15-Apr-2014
At Perth, January 24, 2014. England won by 57 runs. Toss: Australia.
England's first international win on this tour - at the ninth time of asking - was inspired by Stokes, who followed a feisty 70 with four wickets, at the venue where he had made his maiden Test hundred the previous month. But even his efforts with the bat were outshone by Buttler, who produced a spectacular display of crisp hitting, launching four sixes in a 43-ball 71 to lift England to their second-highest total in Australia, behind 333 for six at Sydney three years earlier (a game they went on to lose). The highlight of Buttler's innings was a flick over square leg for six from a full-length ball from the expensive Johnson. Locals dubbed England's victory a hollow one, with Australia resting Clarke, Warner, Haddin and Watson. That left them overly reliant on Finch: he made a combative 108 in 111 balls, his second century of the series, but none of his team-mates passed 26 as England produced a professional display in the field. Broad and Stokes shared the wickets in the middle of the innings to curtail any momentum, although Stokes earned a ticking-off from umpire Dharmasena for sending Faulkner on his way with a touch too much gusto; he was later fined 15% of his match fee. With Australia nine down, Stokes dropped a sitter at deep square leg to reprieve Coulter-Nile, but England's long-awaited win finally came when Pattinson top-edged Bresnan, and Buttler claimed his fifth catch. The result meant England avoided equalling their worst sequence of international defeats, set in 1993 and repeated in 2001 - and persuaded Cook to state his desire to remain in the job. Referring to the doubts he had aired after the Sydney defeat, he said: "I spoke what I was feeling, and sometimes you probably shouldn't do that - but I did."
Man of the Match: B. A. Stokes. Attendance: 18,271.
England's first international win on this tour - at the ninth time of asking - was inspired by Stokes, who followed a feisty 70 with four wickets, at the venue where he had made his maiden Test hundred the previous month. But even his efforts with the bat were outshone by Buttler, who produced a spectacular display of crisp hitting, launching four sixes in a 43-ball 71 to lift England to their second-highest total in Australia, behind 333 for six at Sydney three years earlier (a game they went on to lose). The highlight of Buttler's innings was a flick over square leg for six from a full-length ball from the expensive Johnson. Locals dubbed England's victory a hollow one, with Australia resting Clarke, Warner, Haddin and Watson. That left them overly reliant on Finch: he made a combative 108 in 111 balls, his second century of the series, but none of his team-mates passed 26 as England produced a professional display in the field. Broad and Stokes shared the wickets in the middle of the innings to curtail any momentum, although Stokes earned a ticking-off from umpire Dharmasena for sending Faulkner on his way with a touch too much gusto; he was later fined 15% of his match fee. With Australia nine down, Stokes dropped a sitter at deep square leg to reprieve Coulter-Nile, but England's long-awaited win finally came when Pattinson top-edged Bresnan, and Buttler claimed his fifth catch. The result meant England avoided equalling their worst sequence of international defeats, set in 1993 and repeated in 2001 - and persuaded Cook to state his desire to remain in the job. Referring to the doubts he had aired after the Sydney defeat, he said: "I spoke what I was feeling, and sometimes you probably shouldn't do that - but I did."
Man of the Match: B. A. Stokes. Attendance: 18,271.