No Fluke That England Are World No. 1, Says Australia Coach Justin Langer

Australia witnessed yet another low in their recent calamitous journey as bitter-rivals England outclassed them by a record 242 runs in the third ODI to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series at Trent Bridge. Not just cricket fraternities around the world, Australia coach Justin Langer also slammed his team's humiliating defeat at the hands of England. Langer described Australia's humbling against England a "shock" and said the players could not have had a worse day.

"It's a shock," Langer told ICC.

"That is literally England at its best. It's no fluke that they are No.1 in the world," he said.

After posting a enormous 481 for 6, the highest ever ODI total, England skittle Australia for 239.

The loss meant Australia slumped to No.6 on the ICC ODI Player Rankings - their lowest since 1984 - and conceded their fourth consecutive bilateral ODI series.

"I've never seen nothing like that," said Langer. "I was in Johannesburg when Australia got 400 [434/4] and South Africa then got it, but that was just brutal. Hopefully our young guys can learn from it. It doesn't get harder than that."

England bettered their own ODI record total - the 444/3 set against Pakistan in 2016 - and Langer lauded England, saying they were a side any team would struggle to beat.

"They have the England Test captain Joe Root batting at four and Eoin Morgan, England's highest ever one-day scorer coming in at five," said Langer. "Jos Buttler, who is as dynamic as anyone at the moment, and Moeen Ali, who is beating us with the bat and the ball - well maybe not so much the ball, but he gives them some depth.

"It's a pretty sad dressing room there because you expect to win."

Andrew Tye, who conceded 100 runs in his nine overs at Trent Bridge, got the backing of Langer, who worked with the pacer in the Big Bash League.

"He's probably one of the best people I have ever met in the game of cricket," he said. "He'll stay up, but what I've said to him, like our batters, he's got to learn how to bowl at the first 10 overs, the second 10 overs, and at the death."

With the series already conceded, Australia will hope to salvage some pride in the two remaining ODIs.

"We've got to bat against the top and against spin," he said. "We need to have more rounded players. In 20-overs cricket you can get away with it as it's more condensed, but in 50 overs you have a lot more time in the game than you think."

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