A big innings from Steve Smith was followed by devastating bowling from Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa as Australia beat England by 72 runs in the second ODI to seal victory in the three-match series.
With captains Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler both rested in Sydney, the hosts set England a target of 281 as Smith scored 94 off 114 deliveries.
Despite a strong effort from James Vince and Sam Billings in particular, England’s response faded as Starc and Zampa claimed four wickets each.
After a steady start on a dry pitch, Australia lost David Warner (16) and Travis Head (19) inside the first nine overs, before Smith and Marnus Labuschagne came into play.
The pair put on a partnership of 101 before the latter fell to Adil Rashid (3-57) for 58, with Alex Carey out next ball as England looked to keep their opponents from accelerating.
Smith and Mitchell Marsh (50) put on another 90 together before Smith finally got out by hitting a deep shot straight to Phil Salt, while Marsh and Starc fell to David Willey in the penultimate over as Australia finished with 280-8.
Starc removed Jason Roy and Dawid Malan in the first innings of the chase before the tourists could get any runs on the board, and a brief flurry from Salt (23) ended when he went for a big shot, only to see his stumps smashed by josh hazlewood.
Vince (60) and Billings (71) steadied the ship as they put on a partnership of 122 until Hazelwood trapped Vince lbw.
Moeen Ali came in and hit a four and a six off his first three balls before Zampa overthrew him with the fourth ball, and also dismissed dangerous bowler Billings and Sam Curran (0) in his next over to fight the momentum for Australia.
England’s inability to protect their own stumps continued as Starc (4-47) bowled Chris Woakes, before Willey (6) dragged a delivery just moments after almost hitting his stumps in panic as the ball bounced on them.
Zampa (4-45) turned things around when he trapped Liam Dawson lbw for 20 as Australia dismissed England for 208 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Star contrast in bowling attacks
While England had their moments with the ball, especially when it was in Rashid’s hands, the relentlessness with which Starc removed the bats almost made it look like another pitch.
Zampa was equally impressive with his spin, taking key wickets at crucial times and was also the most economical of the Australian bowlers at just 4.57.
Roy fails again with the bat
Roy had hoped to make a point after being overlooked for Alex Hales in England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign, but after scoring just six in the first ODI, he was out for a second-ball duck here.
Having also lost the first match of the series by six wickets, it was England’s first consecutive loss in ODIs away from home since January 2017.
