By Glen Robertson
James Faulkner's stunning performance secured Australia an unlikely victory in the second one-day international.
The hosts had been reduced to 244 for nine, chasing England's Eoin Morgan-inspired 300, but Faulkner hit a blistering unbeaten 69 to give his side a 2-0 lead in the series.
The tourists appeared to be on the brink of victory when they ended Glenn Maxwell and Brad Haddin's resistance.
The pair's fifty partnership had dragged Australia back into the contest after an early collapse, but Tim Bresnan removed both in the same over to leave England in a strong position.
However, Faulkner crashed five sixes as he almost single-handedly dragged his country over the line with three balls to spare.
Before his intervention, it appeared England had overcome everything the Aussies could throw at them.
Aaron Finch was dismissed without scoring by a nonchalant one-handed catch at mid-off from Gary Ballance, who had dropped the same batsman in similar circumstances in the first ODI at Melbourne.
David Warner then departed to an even better one-handed dismissal from Chris Jordan, who reacted instinctively on his follow-through to take a return catch.
Morgan, who was caught out early on off a no-ball, recorded his sixth ODI century on the back of a fifty in the opening match and his efforts helped add 100 runs in the final 10 overs.
After winning the toss, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell put on a record opening stand of 57 for an England side in an ODI at the Gabba, before the skipper fell to Maxwell.
Bell made a half-century and also enjoyed a fifty partnership with Morgan, but was run out for 68 by Michael Clarke when he looked well set.
England needed acceleration and Jos Buttler joined Morgan to provide some late fireworks.
Both would fall before the end - Buttler for 49 and Morgan a stunning 106 - but their efforts helped set a total that appeared to be good enough for victory, right up until Faulkner’s special performance.
Match Scorecard / Live ball-by-ball commentary
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Just spoke to Ashley Giles pitch-side: "The dressing room is really hurting right now, having come so close."
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
11.20am - Faulkner pips Eoin Morgan to man of the match. The home hero said: “Deep down I’m pretty nervous (in the middle). It’s a special night.”
Michael Clarke, speaking initially with understatement, said: “James showed he’s quite a good player and strikes the ball as cleanly as anybody.” The Australia skipper added: “He deserves all the credit in the world.”
Alastair Cook said: “It took an unbelievable innings to beat us today. Obviously Morgan was exceptional.” Of Faulkner, Cook added: “He’s played an astonishing innings.”
11.13am - Australia's matchwinner James Faulkner said: “I knew I could do it. It’s always nice to get the boys over the line. I tried to hit it out of the park, tried to keep it pretty simple.”
Australia Innings
Watch the highlights from Australia's innings at the Gabba
11.08am - AUSTRALIA WIN BY ONE WICKET! Australia 301/9; Faulkner 69, McKay 2 - It's a third successive four from Faulkner and Australia have recorded a dramatic victory with three balls to spare to go 2-0 up in the best-of-five series.
11.05am - A top edge clears Buttler and runs away for four. Eight needed from five balls. Faulkner follows it with another boundary and now it's four from four.
11.03am - And a single means Australia need 12 from the final over. No pressure, Bresnan.
11.01am - Two more sixes for Faulkner. Australia need 13 from eight.
10.58am - It's now 25 wanted from 12, as Faulkner picks up five more. How are your nerves? England could really do with a wicket here, as the runs required continue to drop.
10.53am - Another six for Faulkner. Root took a brilliant catch but, with his momentum taking him over the boundary, he was forced to try and flick the ball back and save the runs, which he was unable to manage. Australia need 30 from 18 balls.
10.49am - Bresnan keeps things tight and Australia need 41 runs from four overs.
Great crowd at the Gabba - 32,232 #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
10.42am - Faulkner launches successive sixes off Stokes. The shackles are well and truly off. Australia need 45 more runs. A single puts Clint McKay on strike. He sees out the rest of the over and turns down a single from the final ball.
10.39am - WICKET! Johnson c Buttler b Bopara; Aus 244/9 - Faulkner was keeping things ticking along with runs at every opportunity, but an unusually restrained Johnson was never really settled and eventually nicked Bopara behind, where Jos Buttler took the simplest of catches. England need one wicket to win.
10.26am - WICKET! Coulter-Nile lbw Stokes 16; Aus 235/7 - Brilliant from Stokes. Having frustrated the Australians with a tight over, yielding just two runs from five balls, he gets his last delivery to keep low and he traps Coulter-Nile in front. Up goes the finger and England need two wickets to win, Australia 66 runs. Johnson is the new man in.
Morgan is off the field with a knee problem it appears. Any news and we'll let you know. #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
10.20am - Bopara keeps things tight, conceding just three runs, while Eoin Morgan goes close with a shy at the stumps as Australia take four from Ben Stokes' latest set of six.
10.11am - Coulter-Nile hits Bresnan for a six over fine-leg. Australia require 78 from 77 deliveries, with three wickets in hand.
10am - WICKET! Maxwell c Bopara b Bresnan 54; Aus 206/7 - Bresnan does it again in the same over! Maxwell's attempted pull can only pick out Ravi Bopara at midwicket. Australia have two new batsmen at the crease with 95 needed to win from 15 overs.
9.55am - WICKET! Haddin c Cook b Bresnan 26; Aus 200/6 - That could be a huge moment as Haddin skies Bresnan to mid-off, where Cook takes a regulation catch. Nathan Coulter-Nile is promoted up the order ahead of Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner, with Australia needing 100 to win.
@ECB_cricket This should be an #Entertaining finish... #AUSvENG
— CA Digital Media (@CricketAus) January 17, 2014
9.45am - The powerplay has been taken and England, once again, could really do with a wicket. The Australian pair are putting their side right back into contention.
9.35am - Maxwell sweeps Root for three successive boundaries, but he misjudges a Jordan inswinger that hit him high on the thigh, which led to a hopeful appeal from the bowler. Maxwell responds well, though, with another boundary as he moves to 38 and takes his partnership with Haddin to fifty.
284 - The highest successful ODI run chase at Brisbane is West Indies' 284/3 against Australia in January 1997. Tough. #AusvEng
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) January 17, 2014
9.17am - After Australia reach the halfway stage 125 for five, Glenn Maxwell picks up his first boundary, sweeping Root through square-leg.
9.07am - WICKET! Bailey lbw Rankin 24; Aus 120/5 - And another! Rankin gets in on the action, trapping Bailey plumb in front. That was hitting middle stump halfway up. Brad Haddin, the saviour of Australia so often in the Test series, comes out to attempt to salvage things.
9.02am - WICKET! Marsh b Root 55; Aus 114/4 - And there it is! Root does the trick once more, bowling the settled Marsh. It sparked big celebrations from the men in red. That was a huge wicket.
8.59am - The fourth wicket partnership is now worth 40, as Marsh and Bailey drag Australia back into contention. England could do with a breakthrough.
8.51am - FIFTY! Marsh (60b 7x4 0x6) - While other wickets have fallen, Marsh has remained calm. He flicks away a single to move to his ninth ODI half-century, as Australia bring up their hundred in the 20th over.
8.40am - Australia reach 80 for three as we stop for drinks. Bailey looks to be struggling, having pulled up after completing a run. The physio was on during the break, but Bailey's continuing.
8.33am - REVIEW - Bresnan thinks he has Marsh lbw, but the ball pitched outside leg and England use up their review.
8.29am - WICKET! Clarke c Ballance b Root 17; Aus 70/3 - Alastair Cook turns to Joe Root's spin and he delivers a big wicket in his first over. Clarke tries to loft him over cover-point, but Ballance safely takes his second catch of the innings. George Bailey, the new man at the crease, is instantly up and running.
8.21am - CHANCE! - Ian Bell misses the chance to remove Marsh. The Australian hesitated but was called through by Clarke, and had Bell hit the stumps from point then Marsh would have been on his way.
8.15am - Marsh picks up a couple of boundaries from Ben Stokes' first over and Australia are 57 for two at the end of the powerplay.
8.08am - Michael Clarke looks in the mood, picking up a couple of early boundaries off Jordan, as Australia continue to score quickly. Tim Bresnan is brought into the attack.
Chris Jordan u little beauty! He has as good a pair of hands as anyone I've played with that wasn't a fluke! #buckets
— Matt Prior (@MattPrior13) January 17, 2014
7.58am - WICKET! Warner c & b Jordan 19; Aus 32/2 - What a catch! Jordan takes a 'worldie' to get rid of Warner. The batsman tries crunching a shot straight down the ground, but Jordan thrusts out a hand and somehow clings on one-handed. Superb reflexes from the young bowler. Australia's opening two have departed early on to a pair of brilliant one-handed catches.
7.54am - Australia are making steady progress after the early wicket. Rankin is punished for straying wide to Shaun Marsh and short to Warner, with both men hitting fours. Australia are 31 for one after five overs.
Warner cracks Jordan hard through mid-off for four.18/1. #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
7.40am - WICKET! Finch c Ballance b Jordan 0; Aus 6/1 - Superb start for England as the dangerous Finch is out without scoring. The powerful opener drove Chris Jordan straight to mid-off, where Gary Ballance - who dropped the same batsman at a massive cost in Melbourne - nonchalantly clings on to a one-handed catch. It was a very similar shot and catch to the one Ballance dropped in the opening match. It appears his mistake was going with two hands at the MCG.
7.34am - Aaron Finch and David Warner stride out to the middle. Boyd Rankin opens the bowling for England. Breaking this partnership early could be the key to victory.
England Innings
Watch the highlights from England's innings at the Gabba
7.28am - England's total has been revised to 300. Earlier on, Australia fielder Shaun Marsh had appeared to have saved a six with a clever piece of fielding, flicking the ball back in play from over the boundary, but on closer inspection his back foot had crossed the rope before he jumped. So England made 300 and Buttler 49.
7am - END OF INNINGS! England 296/8 - A brilliant last over from Faulkner concedes just three runs, as Chris Jordan struggled to get bat on ball. England would have taken this in the 40th over, though.
6.58am - WICKET! Morgan c Clarke b Faulkner 106; Eng 293/8 - Morgan fails to clear mid-off and is dismissed for a simply brilliant 106. England have some work to do to reach 300 now.
6.55am - WICKET! Stokes c Maxwell b Coulter-Nile 0; Eng 292/7 - Ben Stokes is out first ball as he hooks straight to Maxwell at deep midwicket. England are 293 for seven with one over left. Morgan is on strike.
6.53am - WICKET! Buttler c Clarke b Coulter-Nile 45; Eng 291/6 - Clarke makes no mistake as he takes a running catch at mid-on when Buttler got a big top edge to a Coulter-Nile delivery. That was 45 vital runs from the wicketkeeper, though
6.47am - CENTURY PARTNERSHIP! - Superb work from Morgan and Buttler, as they take England within touching distance of 300. Johnson concedes 12 from his final over as he finishes with 1-55. Two overs left for England to pile on further runs.
6.42am - HUNDRED! Morgan (94b 4x4 6x6) - Morgan completes an outstanding century with a superb clip over the wicketkeeper for four. He has turned this contest around brilliantly in these past seven overs.
6.34am - DROPPED CHANCE! - A horrendous drop from Coulter-Nile off his own bowling. Buttler skies one straight up in the air, the bowler was right underneath it and inexplicably shells the chance. Morgan punishes him with a huge six to bring up England's 250. Morgan follows that up by hitting two more sixes off the next two deliveries he faces, as Faulkner concedes 18 from one over.
Huge six again from @Eoin16 - it hits a bloke dressed in st.george's flag cardboard boxes. #noidea #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
6.23am - Buttler ends the wait for a boundary with a four off Johnson. Then Morgan takes it a step further by clubbing the paceman over long-on for a sensational six.
6.16am - England pass 200 as they take six runs from a Johnson over, but boundaries are proving hard to come by.
6.08am - FIFTY! Morgan (70b 2x4 1x6) - Morgan records a second successive fifty in this series. There is very little acknowledgement from the batsman. He knows he has a vital role to play in these final 10 overs.
5.57am - WICKET! Bopara c Bailey b Faulkner 24; 178/5 - Two balls after hitting a six, Bopara departs as he can only pick out George Bailey at midwicket. Jos Buttler replaces him in the middle. England could do with a big innings from the wicketkeeper here.
5.49am - England have to take the batting powerplay at the start of the 36th over and Bopara immediately pulls to the square-leg boundary. Eight runs come from the over and Morgan is the same number short of a fifty - which would be his fifth in his last seven ODI innings.
5.42am - Three singles off Faulkner take England to 157 for four as the players stop for some refreshment at the end of the 34th over. Morgan and Bopara will be looking to accelerate soon.
5.33am - Ravi Bopara finds the boundary from the first ball he faces. Then Morgan brings up England's 150 when he pulls Johnson to deep square-leg for two.
5.20am - WICKET! Bell run out (Clarke) 68; Eng 139/4 - Disaster for England as Clarke strikes with a direct hit from point. Bell, who was in great nick, had set off for a risky single, but was sent back by Morgan and came up a couple of inches short.
In crowd news, Batman has just wrestled a smurf. It was the Adam West version though, so honours were even. #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
5.11am - Morgan and Bell reach a fifty partnership, though the latter was almost dismissed when Faulkner deflected a Morgan drive towards the non-striker's stumps with Bell way out of his crease. Fortunately for England, the ball narrowly missed. Johnson returns to the attack.
5.07am - Morgan hits the game's first maximum, slapping a full one from McKay straight down the ground with the ball just clearing the long-on boundary. James Faulkner is on to replace Maxwell, who got through eight overs and took 2-31.
5.01am - Bell and Morgan rotate the strike nicely with singles before Bell finally finds the boundary, although somewhat unconventionally. An attempted hook finds a top edge, but he gets enough height on it to clear the wicketkeeper and find the rope. At the halfway stage England are 116 for three.
4.51am - FIFTY! Bell (63b 3x4 0x6) - Bell brings up a 28th ODI fifty with a prod to the off side. He will be looking to go on from here as England aim to post a competitive total.
4.42am - Morgan is caught at deep midwicket off Clarke but Australia had only four men in the circle, so it was called a no-ball. It was Morgan who brought it to the umpire's attention, so you presume he knew he basically had a free-hit which is why he took on the big shot. Some nice quick-thinking from the batsman there. England remain three down, with 87 on the board.
4.37am - WICKET! Ballance st Haddin b Maxwell 9; Eng 78/3 - Ballance was tempted down the wicket but he was beaten by Maxwell's spin and Haddin, after juggling with the ball for a second or two, manages to complete the stumping and leave England three down. The in-form Eoin Morgan makes his way to the middle.
4.27am - Johnson is straight back out of the attack after the wicket, as Clarke looks to keep his bowlers fresh. Clarke takes the ball himself, and Bell almost plays on to his stumps first ball, but he and Ballance manage to get the scoreboard ticking once again by taking six from the over.
4.18am - WICKET! Root lbw Johnson 2; Eng 60/2 - Johnson has Root trapped lbw, with a review showing the ball would have just clipped the top of middle and leg . The Yorkshire batsman was struck high on his thigh - hence the review - but is sent packing by Johnson. Root's county team-mate Gary Ballance is out in the middle as England attempt to steady their innings after a quick double blow.
4.10am - WICKET! Cook c & b Maxwell 22; Eng 57/1 - Michael Clarke's decision to turn to spin pays instant dividends, as Cook attempts a drive but can only send one straight back to Glenn Maxwell, who takes a low catch to end England's highest opening partnership in an ODI at the Gabba. Joe Root is the next man at the crease and shows some early intent.
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
3.58am - McKay bowls short and down the leg side and sees the ball smashed to the fine-leg boundary by Cook, who passes 2,000 runs as a captain in one-day internationals. Bell then just clears mid-off as he attempts to send Coulter-Nile over the top.
3.51am - It's an impressive start from Bell and Cook. They add 12 more off a single Coulter-Nile over, trading threes before Bell finds the boundary with a clip through mid-on and adds two more with an edge to the vacant third slip position.
3.42am - Nathan Coulter-Nile is brought into the attack early on as Cook and Bell continue to keep things ticking along. Bell then takes on Johnson, lifting him over the covers to record his first four of the contest. Six overs in and England are 24 without loss.
Classic Cook...clips Johnson off his legs for the first boundary of the match. 14/0. #AusvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
3.31am - Johnson gets some swing and beats Cook's outside edge, but the skipper recovers well to pick up a couple through the covers. Australia half-heartedly appeal for a catch as Ian Bell chases McKay down the leg side, but there was no contact between bat and ball.
3.23am - Alastair Cook is immediately off the mark with a cut down to third man, as Clint McKay struggles to get his radar working. Five runs - two of them wides - get England off and running. Mitchell Johnson, sans moustache, is on at the other end.
Pre-Play News
3.18am - Here we go. Clint McKay will open the bowling, with Cook facing. Can England break their duck this winter?
So England will get first use of the Gabba surface. Could be some pace in it! #AusvEng pic.twitter.com/8Mj3F2ZhAx
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
2.53am - ENGLAND WIN THE TOSS AND WILL BAT - Alastair Cook calls correctly and chooses to post a total first. England have named an unchanged side, so Cook and Ian Bell will be opening the batting when the game gets under way in a little under half an hour.
Australia have made two changes from the side that won in Sydney. Mitchell Johnson returns to the fold following his rest, while Shaun Marsh is also selected. Shane Watson and Xavier Doherty make way.
Australia: Michael Clarke (c), Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint McKay.
England: Alastair Cook (c), Ian Bell, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Chris Jordan, Boyd Rankin.
2.40am - We'll have news of the toss and bring you the teams in 10 minutes. In the meantime, read Gary Ballance's thoughts on today's game, next year's World Cup and facing Mitchell Johnson.
Good to see @Eoin16 melting them in the warm-ups...he looked in great touch in first ODI #AusvEng pic.twitter.com/h2ZgjHox71
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 17, 2014
2.35am - Good morning and welcome to ecb.co.uk's coverage of the second one-day international between Australia and England. The action today comes from Brisbane, as England look to record victory over the Aussies for the first time this winter.