Australia make it 14 in a row with thumping win over England

LEEDS: The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 champions Australia defeated hosts, England by 68 runs in the second match of the series at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday and continued the winning streak in ODI cricket, making it their 14th successive victory in the format.

This is the second-longest winning streak in men's ODI history, with Australia also holding the record for the longest streak (21 games) in 2003. In all ODIs, Australia Women hold the record with 26 back-to-back wins between 2018 and 2021, as per the ICC.

Australia's men's team's recent series of wins extends back to the Cricket World Cup in India, when they scripted a remarkable turnaround after losing their first two matches of the tournament.

After losses to India and South Africa, Australia were unstoppable in the tournament, winning nine matches on the trot and cruising to their sixth men's Cricket World Cup title.

A 3-0 whitewash at home against the West Indies further extended the streak to 12 matches. With wins in the first two ODIs of the ongoing series against England, Australia have made it 14 victories in a row in men's ODIs, surpassing the second-best of 13 held by Sri Lanka in 2023.

At Headingley on Saturday, England seemed to be on top after reducing Australia to 89/3, but skipper Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey smashed vital half-centuries for the team.

Carey's fighting knock (74 off 67 balls) and 49-run stand for the final wicket with Josh Hazlewood took Australia to 270 from a precarious position.

In reply, the Aussie pacers were all over the English top-order, reducing them to 65/5 before Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell, and the lower order combined to carry the team to a respectable total.

The next ODI will be in Chester-le-Street on September 24, with Australia eyeing the No. 1 ranking in men's ODIs.