Brook hits century as England keeps ODI series alive by ending Australia's 14-match winning run

CHESTER-LE-STREET, England (AP) — England captain Harry Brook struck his first one-day international century before his team clinched a 46-run win by the DLS method to keep alive the series against Australia on Tuesday.

Chasing 305 to win the third ODI, England was 254-4 — with Brook unbeaten on 110 — when heavy rain arrived in the day-nighter at Chester-le-Street. The teams didn’t get back on the field and England was well ahead of the run-rate.

Australia, which had cruised to dominant wins at Southampton and Leeds in this five-match series, saw its lead trimmed to 2-1 and its 14-match winning run in ODIs come to an end. During that streak, the team won the Cricket World Cup in India last year.

Coming to the crease with England in trouble on 11-2, Brook took on Australia’s seam attack by hitting 13 fours and two sixes in a 94-ball knock to easily surpass his previous ODI-best score of 80.

“I’m relieved, for sure. It’s just nice to see some rewards,” said Brook, who gained his first win as stand-in skipper for the injured Jos Buttler. “I’m just glad I managed to play the way I wanted to. It’s nice to get that first hundred on the board and hopefully there’s plenty more to come.

“I feel like I’ve been a little bit stop-start this summer. I’ve had a lot of starts — 30s and 40s — and then not managed to convert, which is frustrating. To do that today, I feel like I’m back in a good place."

The series continues on Friday with the fourth ODI at Lord’s.

Playing without explosive opener Travis Head (rested) and star spinner Adam Zampa (ill), Australia was put into bat and needed a strong finish — mainly thanks to Alex Carey’s unbeaten 77 and No. 8 batter Aaron Hardie’s 44 off 26 — to post 304-7 off its 50 overs.

Steve Smith hit a patient 60 off 82 balls, after the tourists’ innings was slowed by losing Cameron Green (42) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) in space of five balls just past the halfway mark.

It looked a tough chase for a youthful England team that had been outclassed so far this series and things started badly when Mitchell Starc dismissed Phil Salt (for an eight-ball duck) and Ben Duckett (8) in the same over — Australia’s third.

Brook embraced the pressure of the occasion and went on the attack pretty much from the start of his innings.

His third-wicket stand of 156 with Will Jacks (84 off 82 balls) swung the momentum England’s way and the team maintained it when the big-hitting Liam Livingstone came in at No. 6 and immediately smashed two sixes.

Brook used the uppercut to great effect to deal with some short-pitched bowling from the Australians and hit a straight drive for four to get to 99. Off the next ball, he opened the face and edged for another four to reach his century, prompting him to remove his helmet and look to the sky.

Brook’s second fifty came off just 33 deliveries.

England’s push for victory was then held up by the rain that arrived in the 38th over. It got heavier and heavier, with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern formula showing that the hosts were well in front of the run-rate.

Brook made some interesting comments after the series opener in Nottingham, reflecting on some loose dismissals by saying: “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field, then who cares?”

He said his words had been misunderstood.

“I think people took that a little bit the wrong way. You’ve got to go out and play fearlessly and almost have that ‘who cares?’ attitude. But that’s not a ‘who cares if we lose?’ attitude,” Brook said.

“We all want to win, but you don’t want to go out and have that fear of getting out."

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Australia's Alex Carey batts during the third one day international cricket match between England and Australia in County Durham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Australia's Glenn Maxwell, centre left, celebrates with teammates after catching out England's Ben Duckett during the third day of international match at the Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

England's Jofra Archer, left, celebrates taking the wicket of Australia's Steven Smith during the third one day international cricket match between England and Australia in County Durham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

England's Harry Brook celebrates 100 runs during the third day international match at the Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

England's Harry Brook celebrates 100 runs during the third day international match at the Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas county that wants to keep 17 books off its shelves — some dealing humorously with flatulence and others with issues including sex, gender identity and racism — argued its case Tuesday before 18 federal appeals court judges amid questions on whether the rights of the patrons or county officials were at risk.

Library patrons filed suit in 2022 against numerous officials with the Llano County library system and the county government after the books were removed. A federal district judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction requiring that the books be returned in 2023. But the outlook became murkier when three judges of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split three ways on the issue in June — one saying all 17 books should stay on the shelves, another saying only eight had to stay, and another saying the court should leave it up to the county.

The upshot was that eight books were to be kept on the shelves. But the full court voted to toss that ruling and rehear the case. Tuesday's arguments were heard by the 17 full-time judges of the 5th Circuit, plus Jacques Wiener, a senior 5th Circuit judge with a reduced workload who was part of the original panel.

It is unclear when the full court will rule.

Judges closely questioned attorneys on both sides as attorneys supporting the county said government officials' decisions in curating a library's book selection amount to protected government speech.

“If private speech could be passed off as government by simply affixing a government seal of approval, government could silence the most powerful, unfavorable ideas,” Judge Leslie Southwick said. “It seems to me that there is a risk of that occurring here — that we are calling this particular activity, that occurred in this library, government speech, when in fact it is suppression of unpleasant, unacceptable ideas to some group of people.”

Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan was more sympathetic to the county, noting a litany of “weeding” guidelines libraries use in deciding which books to stock based on a variety of factors from the age and condition of the book to subject matter that could be considered outdated or racist.

He raised questions of whether a library could be allowed to remove an overtly racist book by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke or the children's book “The Cat in the Hat," which has been criticized for allegedly drawing on racist minstrel show culture.

“If a public librarian removes ‘The Cat in the Hat,’ has the public librarian violated the First Amendment?" Duncan asked.

“If the librarian removes ”the Cat in the Hat" because he or she is substantially motivated by suppressing the viewpoint in it, then yes," said Matthew Borden, attorney arguing for the library patrons.

The books at issue in the case include “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson; “They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group,” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; “In the Night Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak; “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health” by Robie H. Harris; and “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen” by Jazz Jennings.

Other titles include “Larry the Farting Leprechaun” by Jane Bexley and “My Butt is So Noisy!” by Dawn McMillan.

In June's panel ruling, Wiener, who was nominated to the 5th Circuit by former President George H. W. Bush, said the books were clearly removed at the behest of county officials who disagreed with the books’ messages.

Another panel member was Southwick, a nominee of former President George W. Bush, who agreed with Wiener — partially. He argued that some of the removals might stand a court test as the case progresses, noting that some of the books dealt more with “juvenile, flatulent humor” than weightier subjects.

“I do not find those books were removed on the basis of a dislike for the ideas within them when it has not been shown the books contain any ideas with which to disagree,” Southwick wrote.

Also on that panel was Duncan, a nominee of former President Donald Trump, who dissented fully. “The commission hanging in my office says ‘Judge,’ not ‘Librarian.’ ” Duncan wrote.

FILE - Michael McDavid and Emily Decker protest outside the Llano County Commissioner's Court meeting at the Llano County Law Enforcement Center in Llano, Texas, April 13, 2023. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)