Australia's Day

By Callum Dent

England fell agonisingly short of spoiling Australia Day as Michael Clarke’s side secured a dramatic five-run victory at Adelaide in the fifth and final one-day international.

Chasing 218 for their second successive triumph, the tourists looked to be on course as the returning Joe Root struck 55 and shared in stands of 61 and 63 with Alastair Cook and Eoin Morgan respectively.

But James Faulkner dismissed both Morgan and Root in quick succession, with England eventually losing six wickets for 55 runs. 

That collapse left Chris Jordan and James Tredwell charged with the task of hitting eight off the final over, which proved too much as Shane Watson had Tredwell caught behind by Matthew Wade to help his side take the series 4-1 and return to the top of the rankings.

Earlier, a strong bowling performance from England limited Australia to just 217 for nine on a slow surface.

After Clarke opted to bat first, the hosts struggled as Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes returned figures of 3-31 and 3-43 respectively, while Jordan took two wickets in as many balls in the final over.

George Bailey applied himself admirably with 56, the right-hander combining effectively with Glenn Maxwell and Wade, who made 31, in partnerships of 48 and 55.

Match Scorecard/ Live ball-by-ball commentary

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Post-Match Presentations

Cook confirms he won't be going to West Indies, priority will be given to t20 guys

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) January 26, 2014

11.21am - Aaron Finch is player of the series for his 258 runs, including two hundreds, and James Faulkner is man of the match for his run-a-ball 27 and 2-37.

Faulkner said: “It was an incredible game of cricket. For that to happen on Australia Day was unbelievable.

“I think we’ve played really well as a team [in the series], but the win today especially was a great team effort.”

Alastair Cook said: “We should have got over the line there. We got ourselves in a good position. Credit to Australia though.”

“It’s been a tough couple of months for us, but there’s a lot of things we can work on; there’s a lot of talent in this team.”

Michael Clarke said: “A magnificent performance from the boys with the ball. I think we should have batted better today.”

“Both teams found it difficult batting so the bowlers on both sides deserve a lot of credit.”

Congratulations to Australia. ODI series 4-1. A lot closer than scoreline suggests but plenty learnt ahead of 2015 pic.twitter.com/4xwECKIowj

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

England Innings

11.10am - AUSTRALIA WIN BY FIVE RUNS TO TAKE THE SERIES 4-1! - WICKET! Tredwell c Wade b Watson 0; England 212 all out, Jordan 4 - Number 11 James Tredwell tries a big shot but he can only edge Watson behind to Wade as England fall short. 

11.05am - Watson will bowl the final over with eight required for victory. 

11am - WICKET! Bopara st Wade b McKay 25; Eng 209/8 - Bopara has to go in unfortunate fashion. The right-hander plays and misses a McKay delivery and Matthew Wade - standing up to the stumps - spills the ball which dislodges a bail when Bopara's foot was in the air. 

10.48am - WICKET! Broad b McKay 7; Eng 204/8 - New batsman Stuart Broad punishes an over-pitched delivery from McKay and collects four through the covers. However, the bowler gets his revenge by breaching the left-hander's defences with a ball that nipped back in off the seam.

The equation: 23 runs required from 4 overs. Broad & Bopara at the crease, 3 wickets left. #ausveng#headinthefridgeheartintheoven

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

10.41am - WICKET! Bresnan run out (Maxwell) 13; Eng 194/7 - Bopara calls Bresnan through for a quick single, but the latter fails to make his ground before Maxwell's direct hit. 

10.38am - Bresnan lifts Coulter-Nile for six as the paceman concedes nine off his final set of six. 

10.33am - Bopara is leading by example out in the middle. The right-hander cuts Watson for four to end an over that cost eight runs. 

10.25am - WICKET! Buttler c McKay b Coulter-Nile 5; Eng 174/6 - Jos Buttler provides Coulter-Nile with a third scalp, pulling the bowler straight down the throat of McKay on the deep midwicket boundary. 

10.18am - Bopara makes the most of his reprieve, punishing Doherty by rocking onto the back foot and pulling to the midwicket rope. Ten from the over. 

10.16am - DROPPED CHANCE - Ravi Bopara feels the pressure and goes for a big shot over the top, with a back-tracking Watson failing to get there in the deep. That would have been some catch. 

10.07am - WICKET! Root c Doherty b Faulkner 55; Eng 157/5 - Root tries to scoop Faulkner over short fine-leg, but manages to pick out the fielder. A brilliant innings comes to an end in disappointing fashion. 

64 to win from 84 balls #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

10am - WICKET! Morgan c Watson b Faulkner 39; Eng 154/4 - What was I saying? Morgan slaps Faulkner straight to Watson at mid-off. The dismissal was identical to Bell's. 

9.57am - Australia's bowlers do not seem to have any answers to Morgan, who is playing beautifully. The left-hander cuts Faulkner to the boundary and is racing along at a run a ball. 

9.44am - FIFTY! Root (79b 3x4 1x6) - Root just evades mid-on from a full-toss and then hammers a full Maxwell ball for six to bring up an impressive half-century. 

9.40am - Morgan is starting to take a liking to Watson, this time clearing mid-off to register another four, before Root pulls the same bowler over the top to the midwicket rope. 

9.30am - Six! Morgan thumps Shane Watson back over his head for the first maximum of the match. 

9.17am - Root attempts a suicidal quick single and only survives when Bailey's throw fails to hit the stumps. A big let-off for the number four. Eoin Morgan then clips Coulter-Nile just over midwicket for three. 

9.07am - WICKET! Cook c Bailey b Coulter-Nile 39; Eng 90/3 - Cook pushes forward at a ball that wasn't there to drive and only succeeds in looping up a catch to George Bailey at cover off Coulter-Nile. 

8.55am - Cook uses an orthodox sweep to pick up four off Doherty, with the third-wicket stand moving past 50. 

8.47am - Cook and Root's partnership is starting to build nicely. Glenn Maxwell enters the attack for Australia immediately after the drinks break and the Yorkshireman takes to the spinner like a duck to water, following up a two with a reverse-swept four. 

Cracking shot from Cook as he pulls over mid-wicket to the boundary. That's the fifty up in the 14th over. 50/2. #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

8.27am - Australia captain Michael Clarke introduces spinner Xavier Doherty into the attack. 

8.22am - Skipper Alastair Cook relieves a little bit of pressure by manoeuvring McKay past Marsh to the midwicket boundary. Joe Root, returning to the side, follows suit and pulls Faulkner to the rope. 

8.11am - WICKET! Stokes c Marsh b McKay 0; Eng 29/2 - Ben Stokes pulls McKay straight to Shaun Marsh at midwicket. 

8.07am - James Faulkner is into the attack, replacing Coulter-Nile, and his variations may cause England's batsmen problems on this surface. 

8am - WICKET! Bell c Finch b Coulter-Nile 14; Eng 23/1 - Bell shows his class by punching Coulter-Nile for four. But the opening batsman, trying to hit over the top and collect back-to-back boundaries, can only pick out Aaron Finch at mid-off next ball. 

7.52am - The right-hander then gets squared up and nearly offers a return catch to the seamer. However, Bell remains unflustered and flicks Nathan Coulter-Nile for four in the next over. 

7.47am - Ian Bell shows intent against McKay and collects the first boundary of the innings, driving away from his body and just evading the infield. 

7.40am - England's run-chase is helped by two wides in a slightly wayward opening over from Clint McKay. 

Australia Innings

Australia finish their 50 overs on 9-217. Will it be enough? Scorecard: http://t.co/8WVmQRj3ql#AUSvENG

— CA Digital Media (@CricketAus) January 26, 2014

7am - END OF INNINGS - Australia 217/9; McKay 1, Doherty 1 - Xavier Doherty plays the hat-trick ball into the off side for a single. England will be happy with their performance, but batting does not look straightforward. 

6.57am - WICKET! Coulter-Nile lbw Jordan 15; Aus 215/9 - Jordan bowls full and straight and hits Coulter-Nile on the pads plumb in front. The paceman is on a hat-trick. 

6.56am - WICKET! Faulkner c Morgan b Jordan 27; Aus 215/8 - Faulkner cannot repeat his heroics from the third match as he clubs a full-toss from Jordan straight down the throat of Eoin Morgan at cow corner. A deserved wicket for the Sussex man. 

6.50am - DROPPED CHANCE - Bresnan is into his final over and bowling full and wide in order to restrict the Australia batsmen. The Yorkshireman could have had a second wicket, but he shelled a fierce caught-and-bowled opportunity from Coulter-Nile.

Two boundaries in the over, and a good one for Australia with 12 coming from it. 3 remain. 199/7. #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

6.41am - Faulkner's slash to the midwicket boundary is followed by Nathan Coulter-Nile hitting Bresnan over the top as Australia edge towards 200. 

6.27am - WICKET! Wade b Broad 31; Aus 176/7 - Wade looked to be finally adapting to the conditions, only to be bowled round his legs by Broad after shuffling across his crease and leaving his leg stump exposed. 

6.22am - The dangerous James Faulkner glances Broad off his pads to the fine-leg boundary. He could be key for Australia now. 

6.15am - WICKET! Bailey c Broad b Stokes 56; Aus 167/6 - Bailey tries to cart Stokes over the top but can only succeed in picking out Broad, who takes a smart catch at mid-on. 

6.13am - Wade's starting to find his timing and powerfully cuts Stokes for four. The left-hander and Bailey's sixth-wicket partnership has now passed 50, the biggest of the innings. 

6.11am - The pitch continues to make life difficult for the batsmen, with the ball sticking in the wicket. Only 21 runs came from the powerplay, which England will be happy with. When will Australia up the tempo? 

6am - After Australia move past 150, Wade finally finds the middle of the bat, pulling Bresnan to the midwicket boundary.

5.52am - FIFTY! Bailey (60b 4x4 0x6) - Bailey has found a way to score runs on this surface and goes to a half-century from 60 balls. 

5.50am - Australia, struggling to find the boundary, have to take the batting powerplay with 15 overs remaining. 

5.38am - Bailey almost hands Stokes a third scalp, but manages to scoop a low full-toss just wide of a diving Bopara at mid-on. Matthew Wade, like at Perth, looks to be struggling with his timing. 

19 overs to go then, and Australia are 117/5. #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

5:25am - WICKET! Maxwell c Buttler b Stokes 22; Aus 112/5 - Stokes makes the vital breakthrough by dismissing Maxwell, who instead of running the ball down to third man can only provide Buttler with a second catch. Bailey and Maxwell had put on 48 for the fifth wicket. 

5:20am - The Australia duo are playing the situation impressively, milking the singles until Bailey cuts Stokes to the point boundary to move the score into three figures. Maxwell then follows suit, flicking Bopara to the rope. 

5:08am - Bailey and Maxwell, both attacking players, are having to dig in as England continue to impress with the ball. Bopara, looking to make amends for his earlier drop, replaces Jordan. 

4:53am - It will be interesting to see how Glenn Maxwell applies himself in this situation after Australia coach Darren Lehmann criticised the all-rounder for his shot selection at Perth. 

4:47am - WICKET! Marsh c Cook b Stokes 36; Aus 64/4 - Stokes takes a wicket with his fourth ball as Marsh tamely flicks a full delivery to Cook at midwicket. 

4.45am - Premeditated scoops are the order of the day for Bailey, who is continuing to use the shot against the spin of Tredwell. Ben Stokes, a leading performer in the win at Perth, has been thrown the ball. 

4:33am - Marsh relieves some pressure by whipping Tredwell past mid-on for four. George Bailey is the new man at the crease. 

4.26am - WICKET! Clarke b Bresnan 8; Aus 43/3 - Big wicket for England and Bresnan. A frustrated Clarke looks to find a welcome boundary but his attempted pull shot only finds the inside edge and rattles into his stumps.

4.20am - Australia are dealing in singles at the moment and Cook now turns to off-spinner James Tredwell. 

Superb first spell from @StuartBroad8 so far, he's got 2/10 from 5 overs. Australia are 27/2 from 9. #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

4.06am - The double breakthrough has put the brakes on Australia. Tim Bresnan, who was sloppy in the field earlier on, comes into the attack in the 10th over. 

3.53am - WICKET! Watson c Buttler b Broad 0; Aus 22/2 - Broad responds to a failed review by tempting Watson into driving a wide delivery and Jos Buttler holds on to the edge. 

3.50am - REVIEW - England ask for a review when Shane Watson is hit on the pads in front. However, the umpire's call remains as the ball was just clipping leg stump. 

3.49am - Shaun Marsh gets into his stride with back-to-back boundaries, punching Jordan through cover before rocking onto the back foot and cutting through point. 

3.42am - WICKET! Finch b Broad 7; Aus 14/1 - England finally claim the wicket of Finch as Broad nips one back and breaches the opener's defences. Third time lucky! 

3:34am - DROPPED CHANCE - Finch, shortly after punching Broad for four, gets another let-off! This time Ravi Bopara is the guilty party at cover, shelling an opportunity after the right-hander drove on the up. 

3.29am - DROPPED CHANCE - After Stuart Broad starts with a maiden, Chris Jordan is unfortunate not to dismiss Aaron Finch, who scored a century in his last outing, as Alastair Cook fails to hold on high to his right at first slip. The England skipper may have been distracted by Ian Bell's slight movement next to him in the cordon. 

Pre-Play News  

3.13am - The players are making their way on to the field for the national anthems. When play starts in just over five minutes' time, England will be hoping for early wickets. 

Eng: Cook, Bell, Stokes, Root, Morgan, Bopara, Buttler, Bresnan, Broad, Jordan, Tredwell #ausveng

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

2.58am - England make one change from the side that won on Friday as Joe Root replaces Yorkshire team-mate Gary Ballance. Australia opt for four alterations with Clarke, Watson, Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty replacing Steven Smith, Dan Christian, Johnson and James Pattinson. 

2.57am - AUSTRALIA WIN TOSS & BAT - Returning captain Clarke calls correctly and decides to make first use of the drop-in surface. 

2.50am - The hosts’ hopes of celebrating Australia Day with a fourth victory of the series are expected to be boosted by the returns of skipper Michael Clarke and Shane Watson, although paceman Mitchell Johnson will sit out the game.  

It's Australia Day...so let's make England's! The lads are warming up here in Adelaide, here's the surface... pic.twitter.com/Zz3PTnuTjB

— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 26, 2014

2.40am - Ben Stokes starred in Perth on Friday as Alastair Cook’s side recorded their first victory on the disappointing tour of Down Under. The Durham all-rounder, speaking to the media yesterday, revealed he is relishing his role of batting at three and bowling at the death. 

2.30am - Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the fifth and final one-day international between Australia and England.