Travis Head glad of all-round return in Australia's series win over England

Australia's Travis Head was proud of his performances with both bat and ball as the world champions completed a 3-2 one-day series international victory over England thanks to a 49-run win in Sunday's rain-marred finale at Bristol.

England were poised for a huge total at 202-2 in the 25th over as Ben Duckett (107) and captain Harry Brook (72) shared a century stand.

But England then succumbed to spin as they collapsed to 309 all out, with Head's occasional off-breaks yielding an ODI best 4-28.

"It's always nice to get the job done for the team," said Head, both the player-of-the-match and series. "We've got a lot of options with the ball and I am more than happy to help when I am needed."

Head, in his primary role as a left-handed opening batsman, then made a brisk 31 during a blistering first-wicket stand of 78 in slightly more than seven overs with Matthew Short (58) as Australia looked to get ahead of the forecast bad weather.

And despite the umpires calling for a drinks break after 17 overs in cool conditions and a change of boots for paceman Matthew Potts, England did bowl the minimum 20 overs needed in the second innings for a result to be declared under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Four balls later, a downpour took the players off the field, never to return, with Australia well ahead of their DLS target at 165-2.

Head won the series award thanks to 248 runs at an average of nearly 83, including an ODI best 154 not out in the opener at Trent Bridge, and six wickets in total at just 10.33 apiece.

"I am pleased, especially getting off to the start I did," said Head of his batting form.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, who didn't play Sunday due to injury, praised his side's resolve by saying: "Five one-dayers in 12 days is always going to be a challenge... Trophies are really hard to win, we build towards those and we look forward to (the ICC Champions Trophy in) Pakistan in a few months time."

- 'Tempo' -

Brook, meanwhile said an inexperienced England 50-over team could be proud of how they had fought back from 2-0 down.

"We've got a hell of a lot of positives to take away from that," said Brook, leading England this series in the absence of the injured Jos Buttler.

"They (Australia) are the best team in the world and we're playing against some of the best bowlers and batters to have ever played the game."

Brook's innings on Sunday was his third successive score in excess of 50, the 25-year-old Yorkshireman posting his maiden ODI century in Tuesday's win at Chester-le-Street before his 87 paved the way for a colossal 186-run success at Lord's on Friday.

"I think I've figured out a tempo in ODI cricket," said Brook. "It's just similar to the way I've been batting in Test cricket -- try and look to play the ball late and try to apply pressure on the bowlers when needed."

Brook is one of several England players involved at Bristol who face a quick turnaround before joining up with a Test squad that travels to Pakistan for a three-match series starting in just over a week.

Brook, however, was happy to be heading to be a warmer climate.

"I love playing cricket," he said. "It might be a little bit different for a bowler but as a batter, I'm alright with it. I'm off to a hot country, it's bloody freezing here, it's horrible."

Three things we learned

Australia completed a 3-2 one-day international series victory over England with a 49-run win in a rain-shortened clash at Bristol on Sunday.

But an inexperienced England 50-over team gave the world champions a scare by levelling the series at 2-2 after a pair of thumping defeats.

Below AFP Sport looks at some of the taking points to have emerged from an intriguing campaign between the arch-rivals.

Head underlines his worth

Travis Head, having the time of his cricketing life after hundreds in both Australia's World Test Championship and World Cup final wins over India last year, was a thorn in England's side with both bat and ball.

Blessed with an admirable temperament, as well as skill, his match-winning 154 not out in the 1st ODI at Trent Bridge set him up for a series return of 248 runs at an average of nearly 83 in four innings.

Quite where opponents should bowl to left-handed opener Head in this kind of form is something of a mystery, with the 30-year-old demonstrating his value as a back-up spinner with an ODI-best 4-28 at Bristol.

Brook learning on the job

England stand-in captain Harry Brook was the leading run-scorer on either side this series with 312 runs in five innings at an average of 78, including a maiden and match-winning ODI century at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, an 87 that paved the way for a colossal 186-run success at Lord's on Friday and 72 at Bristol.

By his own admission this series saw Brook discover the "tempo" for ODI batting, with Australia coach Andrew McDonald saying after the 25-year-old Yorkshireman's 110 in Durham: "He's going to give us some headaches over the journey."

Although Brook was deputising as captain this series in place of the injured Jos Buttler, he demonstrated a feel for the job that suggested England might gain from appointing him as ODI skipper on a full-time basis.

He also learned a valuable lesson when, following England's seven-wicket loss in the series opener, he tried to explain some loose dismissals by saying: "If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field then who cares?

Brook, however, clearly cares about whether England win or lose.

Scheduling matters

Playing cricket in England this late in September was always going to be a risk, with three matches this series cut short by bad weather.

But while sports fans are used to braving the cold and wet for 90 minutes at a football match, it's asking a lot for them to be exposed to similar conditions for hours on end, as happened repeatedly in a series featuring day/night games as well as Sunday's chilly climax.

Brook, asked about a quick turnaround before he travels with England on Tuesday for a Test series in Pakistan, replied: "I'm alright with it. I'm off to a hot country. It's bloody freezing here, it's horrible."

The England and Wales Cricket Board might do well to remember that many fans don't have the option of flying away to a warmer climate.