England’s new world-record total of 481 for six delivered series victory over Australia after scintillating centuries from Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow in an astonishing Trent Bridge run-fest.

The hosts wrapped up an unassailable 3-0 series lead with a mammoth 242-run win – their biggest in one-day internationals, and Australia’s heaviest defeat – after surging past their own previous global all-time high of 444 for three at the same venue two years ago.

Eoin Morgan (67) had struck England’s fastest ever 50, from 21 balls in the third century stand of the innings, before he and Hales (147) holed out to successive balls from Jhye Richardson.

Australia, who had put England into bat, then unsurprisingly could not sustain a plausible chase as Moeen Ali (three for 28) and Adil Rashid (four for 47) put the brakes on in a reply which crumbled to 239 all out in 37 overs.

Record breakers

England’s superb batting display saw previous bests tumble, both collective and individual. The total of 481 for six was a new world record, while the 242-run margin of victory was the biggest in one-day internationals – not to mention the heaviest defeat for Australia. Captain Morgan hit England’s quickest half-century, coming from only 21 deliveries, and with his 67 became the record ODI runscorer. Australia skipper Tim Paine admitted England had been “red hot” with the bat, while Morgan felt it was close to a “complete performance” – and on those statistics, few could argue.

All change at Chester-le-Street?

England v Australia – Third Royal London One Day International – Trent Bridge
Adil Rashid, second right, took four wickets after England had hit a new world-record ODI total at Trent Bridge. (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

Following a 38-run win at Sophia Gardens, England’s emphatic Trent Bridge triumph wrapped up the five-match series with two still to play. While understandably not wanting to tinker with the batting line-up, Morgan suggested the England camp would take a look a how to best utilise the bowlers for the remaining fixtures up in Durham and then on to Old Trafford. With Moeen and Rashid both producing fine performances, England might just let them try to put Australia in a spin once again.

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Another Aussie inquest

While England’s batsmen took all the plaudits, and were backed up in the field, Australia failed to make an impact, slumping to a heaviest one-day international defeat, an eighth loss in nine 50-over games. Working back from a lowest limited-overs ranking for 34 years will be no small task. Paine, though, hopes some of the Aussie youngsters will have learned a hard, but valuable lesson in Nottingham as they look towards building an ODI challenge once more at the 2019 World Cup – when they will return to Trent Bridge to take on both the West Indies and Bangladesh.

What next?

The fourth game of the five-match series will be played at Chester-le-Street, Durham on Thursday. The series concludes at Old Trafford on June 24 ahead of a one-off T20 day/night fixture in Birmingham.