At Adelaide Oval on November 15, 2026, Joe Root produced one of the catches of the series when he dived to his left at first slip and held a brilliant two-handed take to send back Mitchell Marsh in the fourth over of Australia's chase. Marsh had attempted to attack a hard-length delivery from Sonny Baker, only to get a thick outside edge that flew low to Root's right, and the England batter plucked the ball out of thin air to give Baker his first wicket of the match.

The dismissal was part of a dominant England performance that saw the visitors post 355/6 from their 50 overs, the highest ODI total ever recorded on Australian soil. Marsh, who had won the toss as Australia captain and elected to bowl, saw his side immediately lose their skipper before the powerplay was complete.

Watch Root's sensational catch here:

How did Root's batting set up England's record total?

Root had earlier anchored England's innings with 62 off 68 balls, coming in at number three after Ben Duckett departed for nine. He brought up his half-century off 50 balls and combined with Tom Banton in a second-wicket stand of 137, which stands as England's highest partnership for that wicket in ODIs at Adelaide. Root eventually fell for 62 when a leading edge off Cooper Connolly lobbed to substitute fielder Liam Scott at cover point, while Harry Brook contributed only five before departing cheaply.

Banton carried the momentum forward and reached his second ODI century off 86 balls before being dismissed by Xavier Bartlett, having struck two consecutive sixes just before his dismissal. Bartlett was Australia's most successful bowler on the day, finishing with figures of 3/72.

After Banton's exit for 121, Jordan Cox and Will Jacks accelerated sharply: Cox made 67 off 49 balls, reaching his half-century off 39 balls, and added 37 with Banton for the fourth wicket before Jacks joined him. Jacks remained unbeaten and put on an unbeaten 102 for the fifth wicket alongside Cox, who finished on 67, to push England past 350.

What records did Root's 50th ODI half-century bring?

Root's knock of 62 was his 50th half-century in ODI cricket, making him the first England batter to reach that landmark. He achieved the milestone in his 201st ODI appearance. Former England captain Eoin Morgan, who had accumulated 42 half-centuries across 225 matches, is second on the list, followed by Ian Bell, who finished his England career with 35 fifties from 161 games. Root also holds the record for the most ODI centuries by an England batter, having reached 20 hundreds in the format.