PERTH : Lower-order batsman James Faulkner smashed an unbeaten 24-ball 50 to power Australia to 278 for eight against England in the tri-series cricket final, here today.
Reeling at 60 for four, Glenn Maxwell (95) and Mitchell Marsh (60) stitched a crucial 151-run fifth-wicket partnership to pull Australia out of trouble before a Faulkner blitz took the hosts to a competitive total.
Put into bat, Australia lost the openers early after England pace spearhead James Anderson (2-38) accounted for Aaron Finch (0) and David Warner (12) in the first and seventh over respectively.
The slide continued after captain George Bailey (2) also failed to counter the extra bounce at WACA and Stuart Broad (3-55) was the beneficiary.
Steven Smith (40) hung around for a while only to be stumped off Moeen Ali (1-39) as the off-spinner continued to keep the runs in check as well.
Maxwell, who hit 15 fours in his 98-ball stay, then got going with Marsh as the duo mixed the right dose of caution and aggression to steady a wobbly Australian boat.
But Broad denied Maxwell, who got his ninth ODI fifty, in what would have been his maiden international ton and soon an Anderson and Jos Buttler combined got Marsh run out after registering his fourth ODI half-century.
But after that it was a single-handed show by Faulkner, who smashed 4 fours and 4 sixes, to enable Australia get 54 runs from the final five overs.
In between Steven Smith also slipped in with a wicket of Mitchell Johnson (3) in the last over but Faulkner had done enough damage till then. (AGENCIES)
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