Surrey swing bowler Tom Curran
inspired England to a thrilling 12-run win over Australia in the first
international played at the new Optus Stadium, Perth.
Jason Roy
gave England a fine start with 49 from 46 balls but Joe Root (62) was
the only man to reach fifty as they were all out for 259 in the 48th
over.Marcus Stoinis hit four sixes in his 87 to guide Australia to 189-4 in reply.
But Curran, 22, in his only third ODI, took 5-35 as Australia were 247 all out to give England a 4-1 series win.
It seemed as if England would rue three dropped catches but Curran's spirited spell of fast, accurate bowling ensured a 19th win in their last 22 matches.
They now turn their attentions to a Twenty20 tri-series with Australia and New Zealand, beginning next month.
Australia seamer Andrew Tye's 5-46 caught the eye at the IPL auction, where he was purchased for $1.1m (£780,000) during the interval in Perth.
Curran brilliance rescues England
The general consensus was that England's total was not enough and although Curran dismissed David Warner with a devastating yorker in the fourth over, Stoinis soon displayed more clean hitting to reach fifty for the third time in the series.Steve Smith again looked strangely out of form and having narrowly been adjudged not out stumped on nought, he departed for a painstaking 12.
The captain plundered 687 runs in the emphatic Australian Ashes victory but has scored only 102 runs in his five innings in the one-day matches, falling to spin on four occasions.
Stoinis looked to have put Australia in the ascendency at 189-4 when he lofted an Adil Rashid full toss to long on, where Curran took an excellent low diving catch.
Curran claimed the important wicket of Glenn Maxwell lbw with a superb inswinger overturned on review, and ousted Starc two balls later.
Tim Paine was dropped by Alex Hales and Australia added 33 for the ninth wicket before Curran returned to expose their batting frailties in the limited overs game with further stunning yorkers, removing Adam Zampa and Paine in consecutive overs.
England falter after blistering start
It was an impressive start from England having again been asked to bat, with no detrimental effect apparent from having been reduced to 8-5 in the previous match.
The hard-hitting Roy dominated both the strike and the bowling with six fours and a six in the first five overs to reach 37 when opening partner Jonny Bairstow had made only two.
Roy, reprieved when caught behind off a Mitchell Starc no-ball on 20, was deceived by Tye and lofted a catch to mid-on, but Bairstow maintained the fluency and struck Glenn Maxwell for six to bring up the 100 in the 17th over.
But wickets began to fall frequently and Jos Buttler, who hit a swashbuckling century in Sydney a week ago, struck one majestic six down the ground before he was another to mis-time an attack on the fast medium Tye and fall at long-on.
It needed another innings of calm assurance from Root, his 18th of the tour and his 26th ODI fifty, to guide England past 200 but he was ninth out, again caught on the boundary off Tye.
In only his fourth ODI, the Australian seamer added the final wicket of Jake Ball in the same over.
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