On This Day: England Smash 481 to Script ODI History Against Australia

Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales blasted centuries, tearing into Australia’s bowlers like they were bowling practice balls. The Aussie attack had no answers as England’s ruthless hitting left them humiliated. It was a brutal day that summed up Australia’s struggles, with their weakened team exposed on the world stage.

Australia vs England: 19th June 2018

With the sun shining over Trent Bridge on June 19, 2018, England’s batsmen put on a show that left the cricket world stunned. Facing a depleted Australian side, already reeling from the ball-tampering scandal that saw Steve Smith and David Warner banned, England didn’t just dominate — they rewrote the record books. Their 481/6 in 50 overs wasn’t just a score; it was a statement of intent, a brutal display of power hitting that humiliated Australia’s bowlers and set a new benchmark for ODI cricket.

England’s openers, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, walked out with fire in their eyes. The pitch was a belter, and they made Australia pay from the get-go. Roy was his usual swaggering self, cracking seven fours and four sixes in a 61-ball 82. Bairstow, meanwhile, was pure class, stroking 15 fours and five sixes in a 92-ball 139. The pair raced to 50 in just 7.4 overs, with no extras needed.

Their 159-run stand for the first wicket was a masterclass in aggressive batting, with Roy’s flair complementing Bairstow’s precision. Australia tried to fight back with a review for Roy’s wicket in the fifth over, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena wasn’t convinced, and the decision stood. By the 17th over, England were 130/0, and the Aussie bowlers looked shell-shocked. Roy fell in the 19th over, and run out for 82 after a mix-up with D’Arcy Short and Tim Paine, but Bairstow kept the pedal down.

He reached his fifty off 39 balls, then brought up his hundred in 69 balls, peppering boundaries like it was a nets session. Enter Alex Hales, who took the attack to another level. Hales smashed 147 off 92 balls, with 16 fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 159.78. The second-wicket partnership with Bairstow added 151 runs in just 87 balls, pushing England to 200 in 23.5 overs and 300 in 33.1 overs. Bairstow’s 139 ended in the 34th over, caught off Ashton Agar, but Hales kept going, reaching his century in 62 balls. The crowd was buzzing, sensing something historic.

Jos Buttler came in at 310/2 but couldn’t quite find his groove, scoring 11 off 12 before Jhye Richardson had him caught by Aaron Finch. Still, England’s momentum was unstoppable. Skipper Eoin Morgan joined Hales and unleashed carnage, smashing 67 off 30 balls, including three fours and six sixes, at a ridiculous strike rate of 223.33. Their 124-run stand for the fourth wicket came in just 44 balls, with Morgan’s fifty taking only 21 balls.

England crossed 350 in 39.1 overs and 400 in 42.6 overs, with the Aussie bowlers leaking runs like a broken faucet. Hales fell for 147 in the 47th over, caught off Richardson, and Morgan followed the next ball, nicking to Paine for 67. Moeen Ali chipped in with 11 off 9 before being run out, but Joe Root (4 not out) and David Willey (1 not out) ensured England finished at 481/6, with 19 extras adding to the carnage.

Australia’s bowling was a shambles. Jhye Richardson took 3/92, but his economy of 9.20 told the story. Ashton Agar managed 1/70, while Billy Stanlake (0/74), Andrew Tye (0/100), and Marcus Stoinis (0/85) were taken apart. Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, and D’Arcy Short were tried, but none could stem the flow. England’s powerplay yielded 79/0, and the next 30 overs brought 277 runs for three wickets.

The final 10 overs added 125 more, with three wickets falling. This was England at their peak, a team that didn’t just bat—they obliterated. Bairstow and Hales were the stars, but Morgan’s late blitz and Roy’s fiery start made it a collective demolition job. Trent Bridge had never seen anything like it, and Australia were left chasing a mountain.

With England posting a monstrous 481/6, Australia faced a near-impossible task at Trent Bridge on June 19, 2018. The third ODI was already a low point in a tough year for the Aussies, who were missing Steve Smith and David Warner after the ball-tampering scandal. Chasing 482, they needed a miracle, but instead, they crumbled under pressure and bowled out for 239 in 37 overs. England’s bowlers, led by Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, ran riot, sealing a 242-run thrashing that rubbed salt in Australia’s wounds.

Australia’s innings started with a flicker of hope. Openers D’Arcy Short and Travis Head put on 27 in 3.1 overs before David Willey struck, getting Short caught by Moeen Ali for 15 off 12 balls. Head, though, looked in fine touch, cracking seven fours in a 39-ball 51. He and Shaun Marsh added 68 for the second wicket, taking Australia to 50 in 6.4 overs. But Moeen Ali turned the game, dismissing Head caught and bowled in the 13th over, and then trapping Marsh for 24 off 30 balls in the 14th over. At 100/3, Australia were still in the game, but the required rate was climbing fast.

Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch tried to rebuild, putting on 52 for the fourth wicket. Stoinis played with grit, scoring 44 off 37 balls with four fours and a six, while Finch managed 20 off 19 with two sixes. But Adil Rashid, England’s spin wizard, broke through, bowling Finch in the 21st over. At 152/4, Australia were still fighting, but the target was slipping away. Stoinis fell in the 24th over, run out for 44 after a mix-up with Bairstow and Buttler, leaving Australia at 173/5. The wheels were coming off.

Glenn Maxwell and Tim Paine, the stand-in captain, couldn’t stop the slide. Paine scratched 5 off 9 before Rashid had him caught by Hales in the 27th over. Maxwell followed soon after, caught by Liam Plunkett off Willey for 19 off 19, leaving Australia at 194/7. Ashton Agar fought back with a spirited 25 off 23 balls, including two fours and a six, but Rashid got him caught and bowled in the 35th over. Jhye Richardson hung around for 14 off 25, but Moeen stumped him off Buttler in the 36th over. Billy Stanlake was the last to fall, stumped by Buttler off Rashid for 1, as Australia folded for 239 in 37 overs.

England’s bowlers were relentless. Adil Rashid was the star, taking 4/47 in 10 overs, his spin bamboozling the Aussies. Moeen Ali chipped in with 3/28, while David Willey’s 2/56 added early pressure. Mark Wood (0/38) and Liam Plunkett (0/41) didn’t take wickets but kept things tight. Joe Root even bowled two overs for 19 runs. Australia’s powerplay yielded 83/1, but the next 27 overs saw nine wickets fall for 156 runs. Extras (16) helped, but not enough. Travis Head’s 51 and Stoinis’s 44 were the only bright spots in a batting lineup that couldn’t cope with England’s attack and the monstrous target.

This 242-run defeat was Australia’s worst in ODI history at the time, a low point in a year already marred by scandal. Tim Paine called it the “hardest day’s cricket” of his life, and coach Justin Langer likened England’s top order to Australia’s golden trio of Hayden, Gilchrist, and Ponting. For England, it was a day of records and dominance, with Hales (147) earning Player of the Match. For Australia, it was a harsh lesson in how far they’d fallen, their bowlers smashed and their batsmen overwhelmed.