Australia v England: Hosts crash to ODI series defeat at SCG after England clinches 16-run win
Updated
Australia have fallen to their first home one-day series defeat in seven years after a 16-run loss to England in Sydney.
After a Jos Buttler century powered England to 6-302 at the SCG, Australia struggled to lift the ante when required and ended the chase with four wickets still in the sheds to give the visitors an unassailable 3-0 series lead.
Needing 22 from the final Chris Woakes (2-57) over, Australia scored just three runs off the first two balls before their hopes were dashed when Marcus Stoinis (56 off 43) was caught on the backward square leg boundary.
Tim Paine struggled to find the boundary at the other end, ending the game not out on 31 from 35 balls with just one four as Australia finished at 6-286.
The result gives England their second one-day series win in Australia in 30 years after the pain of this summer's Ashes, and makes for the Aussies' worst start to an ODI summer since 2001-02 against New Zealand and South Africa.
Australia have now also lost 10 of their past 11 completed matches, making for the worst such streak in the team's history.
Sunday's result was shrouded in controversy, after Steve Smith was given out caught behind trying to drive a Mark Wood (2-46) delivery that went low to wicketkeeper Buttler.
Third umpire Kumar Dharmasena deliberated for just under four minutes, before deciding there was not enough evidence to overturn the soft on-field call of out.
Smith had earlier combined for a 69-run stand with opener Aaron Finch, who hit a 53-ball 62 to go with his two centuries to start the series.
Australia could manage just 11 boundaries after Finch's dismissal, as the game drifted away from Smith's men.
In comparison, England had no such trouble lifting the run rate late in their innings courtesy of Buttler and Woakes' 113-run 71-ball stand to end the innings.
Buttler hit the last ball of the English innings for two off Mitchell Starc to bring up his century, while Woakes hit five fours and two sixes in his 36-ball 53.
Australia's trio of Ashes quicks all went for runs in their first one-day game together since last June, with Starc (0-63) and Pat Cummins (1-67) going at more than six an over and Josh Hazlewood (2-58) also expensive.
AAP
Topics: cricket, sport, sydney-2000
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