Australia vs England: Tom Banton, Gus Atkinson and Sonny Baker impress as tourists level series

Will the real England please stand up? Before those defeats in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Perth, England had won three ODI series this year.

This win only adds to the feeling they are extremely difficult to figure out.

Banton was superb and, even more encouragingly, Atkinson and Baker were too.

This England team has often struggled for new-ball wickets and Baker, brought in for Jamie Overton in an attempt to correct that fault, found significant swing. He took the key wicket of Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, taken high at slip by a diving Joe Root, for two.

Atkinson used nip to nick off Travis Head for seven – the second match in a row he has dismissed the Australia left-hander – and also have both Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis caught behind. Career-best figures of 4-28 are reward for good recent performance that have often gone unrewarded.

England were not perfect. They dropped four catches – first Inglis and then Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green, who made 63 and 64 respectively to drag out Australia’s score.

But by the end, Sam Curran had taken two wickets in two balls, including bowling Jack Edwards with his moon ball, in a boost after his poor run.

Green was also out stumped when the ball deflected off Jordan Cox’s shin and onto the stumps and Liam Dawson took 2-41 as he was preferred again to Adil Rashid.

These are the performances that suggest England can challenge at next year’s World Cup, but plenty more are needed.