England vs Australia 2018: 5 Talking Points from 5th ODI

#3 Fiery Stanlake scythes through explosive top-order

Billy Stanlake lived up to reputation by blowing away England's top-order

In the absence of Australia's front-line pacers, there had been a lot riding on Billy Stanlake. Aside from showing glimpses of his potential in the opening game at The Oval, the lanky seamer had largely struggled to fill the void left by spearhead Mitchell Starc and company. With his team grappling for pride at Manchester, he finally demonstrated the reasoning behind the massive hype surrounding him.

Defending a meager total, Stanlake blew away England's much vaunted top-order in a fiery spell of vintage pace bowling. He clocked high speeds and generated steep lift from just short of good length.

While the seemingly unstoppable Jonny Bairstow was cramped for room, Joe Root was left baffled by the vicious bounce. Morgan did not last long either as his defence was breached irrevocably. In what was a dismal series for the Aussies, Stanlake's performance should be among the very few encouraging signs for the near future.