Opener Jason Roy blasted 180 in 151 balls to hand England a comfortable five-wicket win against Australia in the first One Day International match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. After opener Aaron Finch (107) guided Australia to 304/8 in their allotted 50overs, Roy responded with a brilliant ton, fourth of his career, to help his team overhaul the target in the penultimate over. Chasing a challenging target, England started off on a positive note. Openers Roy and Jonny Bairstow (14) helped their team to cross the 50-run mark in the fifth over.
But soon, Mitchell Starc dismissed Bairstow. After adding a few more runs to the board, Alex Hales (4) also departed. He was dismissed by Pat Cummins when the team total was 60 runs. Incoming batsmen Joe Root and Roy then shared a 221-run partnership, the second-largest at the MCG. In the process, Roy registered the highest score by an Englishman in Australia and the highest by any batsman at the venue, topping Mark Waugh’s 173 against the West Indies in 2001.