'Cost us the game': England fans fume over brutal blunder
Cricket fans have called out Jofra Archer after a cruel twist of fate came back to bite England in the deciding one-day international against Australia.
A record stand of 212 between Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey has helped Australia to a dramatic three-wicket victory over England and seal a 2-1 series win.
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Chasing 303, the tourists looked dead and buried at 5-73 - the lowest score Australia's fifth wicket has fallen in an ODI against England since 1977 - when Maxwell joined Carey at the crease.
Maxwell, often maligned for not producing when Australia need it most, had a day to remember as he smashed seven sixes and four boundaries in his 108 from 90 balls as the world champions suffered a first home series defeat in five years.
Carey, 106, also found form when it mattered with his maiden international century as the duo chalked up the highest sixth-wicket partnership of all-time in one-day internationals.
England's devastating loss was made even harder to stomach considering an ODI career-first no-ball from Archer that proved particularly costly.
The England quick thought he'd removed centurion Carey for just nine runs when the Aussie was caught at third man in the 20th over.
Much to the dismay of Archer and his England teammates, the wicket was chalked off when video replays showed that the fast bowler had overstepped the mark.
The rest was history as Carey made England pay for the mistake in the most emphatic fashion possible.
Viewers flooded social media after the match to lament Archer's match-defining no-ball, insisting the unfortunate mistake cost England victory.
The no ball from Archer changed the course of the game and how beautifully Carey grab the opportunity with a brilliant 💯 and the support from Maxwell won the game and series for #Australia 🇦🇺 #ENGvsAUS #Cricket
— mohd imran - محمد عمران (@khankick007) September 16, 2020
Okay ppl I know it cost England the match but u gotta stop blaming Archer for it, it's not like he deliberately bowled a no-ball, mistakes like these happen. Sad luck for England and Eoin Morgan 😔😔😔😔. #ENGvAUS #AUSvENG #Cricket
— Uzairgokak (@uzairgokak) September 16, 2020
What a fighting 100 for Maxwell.. Carey gonna score 100 too. Cricket Aus at it's best. ❤
No Ball by Archer cost England the match.#ENGvAUSodi— Usama Mughal (@UsamaMughal59) September 16, 2020
That No-Ball Wicket from Jofra Archer could have cost the Match for England
— crsnasuneel (@crsnasuneel) September 17, 2020
Archer was too expensive today. What a time to bowl your first no ball in ODI cricket aswell! Nightmare.
— Ryan Keep (@MrRyanKeep) September 16, 2020
Archer & Rashid have been too expensive and cost us this match
— Andy S (@AL_Sutherland) September 16, 2020
That no ball from Jeff Archer is going to cost England this match. Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell are punishing them.#ENGvsAUS
— GunnersSupporter (@JuliasMotaung) September 16, 2020
Archer doesn't no ball that earlier catch and it's curtains
— Jamie Wood (@SuperWoody2) September 16, 2020
Historic Maxwell feat helps Aussies seal victory
It was still a nervy finish for Australia after Maxwell fell to Adil Rashid 18 runs shy of victory.
The South Australian fell to the final ball of the penultimate over from Archer when Mark Wood took a fantastic diving catch in the deep.
It required pace duo Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to get Australia home with 10 runs needed from the final over bowled by Adil Rashid.
Starc hit the first delivery for six and then the third ball for four to seal a memorable win with two balls to spare.
Maxwell also became the become the fastest man to score 3000 ODI runs as Australia buried the memory of Sunday's meltdown in the second match of the series.
"Maxy is in the team to do a specific role, and that's to be able to take the game away from opposition but also be that guy to counterattack and swing momentum in changing rooms," captain Aaron Finch said.
"What makes him so damaging is he can play all around the ground.
"I don't think there's many bowlers in the world that can trouble him when he is having one of those days.
"The way he navigated that innings and took it deeper and deeper ... he did that perfectly."
England had earlier recovered from being 0-2 after the first two balls of the match, bowled by Starc to score 7-302 thanks to Jonny Bairstow's 112 and 57 from Sam Billings and Chris Woakes' unbeaten 53.
Australia's response started terribly when Finch fell lbw in the third over to Woakes for just six.
He was joined back in the pavilion soon after by Marcus Stoinis, whose difficult series continued when he was deceived by a slower ball from Woakes and lobbed an easy catch to Eoin Morgan for four.
with AAP