That went down to 19 from four when Woakes had Stoinis caught by substitute fielder Sam Billings to end any hope of a remarkable finish and continue England’s dominant run in the 50-over format.
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Television replays appeared to show Smith rubbing his lips with his fingers before using the same fingers to shine the cricket ball during England’s innings.
The laws of cricket allow players to polish the ball “provided that no artificial substance is used”.
“It was all spit”, the 28-year-old said. After the match Smith said he was not wearing any lip balm. I certainly didn’t have any of that on. “There was nothing in it”.
Third umpire Kumar Dharmasena deliberated for just under four minutes, before deciding there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the soft on-field call of out.
Smith has no issue with his Buttler claiming the catch, but he believes the system needs a revamp.
“I definitely think I have got a lot of room for improvement”, he said.
The skipper was quick to make his way towards the dressing rooms having seen Buttler claim the catch, before halting when he realised the umpires were sending the decision upstairs.
Mark Wood took the key wicket of Steve Smith (45) to leave Australia, 2-0 down in the five-match series, 181 for four after 34 overs.
Though Root went at almost seven an over, the fact that Australia couldn’t score at a run a ball against Rashid and Moeen Ali meant Morgan never felt he lost control of the innings.
1- This was the first time Australia had lost the first three matches of an ODI series at home.
This is Australia’s worst 10-game stretch in history and consequently, they have slipped to the fifth spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
“Timing is everything”, said Vaughan. “There’s enough doubt for me”.
Of late, the Indian veteran has been struggling to find the right flow and maintain the strike rate as per the demands of the modern game – his former teammates VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar had even questioned his abilities – whereas Buttler has developed himself into one of the most threatening one-day batsmen.
But Australia could manage just 11 boundaries after Finch’s dismissal in the 21st over, as the game drifted away from Smith’s men.
Butler (100*) along with Chris Woakes (53*) partnered for 113 runs, setting up a testing target for the hosts. In an eventful final over, Woakes brought up his half-century with a pull for six before Buttler reached his century with a hard run two off the final delivery of the innings.
JOS Buttler smashed a sensational ton but was at the centre of controversy as England wrapped up the one-day series with two matches still to play.
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England crumbled against South Africa at Lord’s last May, tumbling to 20-6 and scoring just 153, before a collapse of 8-83 saw them slump from 128-2 to 211 all out as they were knocked out by Pakistan in the Champions Trophy semi-finals in June.
