England score 234 against Australia; Skipper Eoin Morgan slams fantastic century in Sydney ODI

Captain Eoin Morgan struck a superb century to rescue England after a top-order collapse and single-handedly took his side to a respectable 234 in the opening match of the cricket tri-series on Friday.

England decided to bat first at the SCG pitch after winning the toss, but Morgan's decision backfired as the visiting side slumped to 33 for four in the ninth over. The top half of the England batting line-up were gone for 69 runs in the 16th over.

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But Morgan, who took over England ODI captaincy recently from Alastair Cook, stood tall amid ruins as he anchored the visiting side's innings with a 136-ball 121 in the first match of the tri-series, also involving India. Morgan struck 11 fours and three sixes in his superb knock after coming on to bat in the fourth over when his team score was at a precarious 12 for three.

Morgan shared a crucial 67-run partnership with wicketkeeper Jos Butler (28) for the sixth wicket to revive the innings. He stitched another 56-run partnership with Chris Jordan (17) for the eighth wicket before he was the ninth England batsman to depart in the 48th over. None of the other England batsmen could make any substantial contribution with Butler (28) being the second highest scorer.