Australian opener David Warner led his team to an emphatic three-wicket win over England in the opening one-day international of the triangular series at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
The powerful left-hander’s commanding century cancelled out a long overdue ton by new England skipper Eoin Morgan to help the Australians earn a bonus point for reaching the target inside 40 overs.
Morgan’s lone hand of 121 off 136 balls with 11 fours and three sixes enabled England to recover from a disastrous start to make 234 in 47.5 overs.
Warner then made 127, breaking his own drought with his first one-day international ton since back-to-back hundreds against Sri Lanka in 2012, as Australia cruised to the victory target with 61 balls to spare, finishing on 235 for seven from 39.5 overs.
Warner faced 115 balls, hitting 18 fours, and fell when just eight runs were needed to win and Australia was chasing the bonus point.
He was delighted to become the first Australian to score a limited overs century against England at the SCG, his home ground.
“It was good to score a hundred, it was a big one (getting the record), here at the SCG,” Warner said.
“Importantly, we won the game and we got a bonus point.”
England have now won just three of their last 14 one-day internationals as they head towards next month’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Morgan took little solace from his own performance after the loss.
“Ultimately the early wickets cost us,” Morgan said.
“I was happy with my performance to start like this as captain but devastated at the result.”
In the first match of the triangular series, which also features India, Morgan won the toss in his debut as skipper since replacing Alastair Cook and elected to bat.
His sixth one-day century for England helped the tourists put on a defendable total before being dismissed in 47.5 overs.
Morgan was the only England batsman to score over 30.
The century ended a dry run for Morgan, as it was his first century in his past 20 one-day innings, which had included just one prior half-century.
He brought up his ton by lofting James Faulkner (3-47) over cover from the 127th ball he faced, having hit nine fours and two sixes.
Morgan had to save the innings after a top-order collapse and strode to the wicket with his side in strife at 12 for three.
The home side struck with the very first ball, with Ian Bell trapped lbw by left-armer Mitchell Starc for a duck.
Worse was to come for England when Bell’s replacement at the crease, James Taylor, was also adjudged lbw for a duck two balls later.
Morgan arrived after Joe Root was caught by Shane Watson from the bowling of Pat Cummins for just five.
The captain was eventually the ninth man to fall, in the push for late runs, holing out to Glenn Maxwell at deep mid-wicket from the bowling of Starc in the 48th over.
The England innings was wrapped up one ball later, when Steven Finn was clean bowled by a Starc yorker.
Starc finished the innings with 4-42 from 8.5 overs and claimed man-of-the-match honours.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE