Australian players will have their hands on their heads. They let the match slip through their grasp in dramatic fashion. It was all hunky dory when Finch and Warner were going all guns blazing but once the openers departed, England applied the choke effectively through the raw pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. But in the end, kudos to Tom Curran who held his nerve to defend 15 off the last over. What a match. What a finish. A contest befitting an age-old rivalry. That would be all from our side. Good night!
Pat Cummins, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Stoinis will be on strike. Tom bowls a dot first ball. SIX! What a strike under pressure . Stoinis has heaved that over deep extra cover for six. 9 off 4. But a dot off the very next ball makes it 9 off 3. Stoinis takes a brace off the next ball. Seven off two now. Another two off the penultimate ball! A six and Australia wins and a four takes us to Super Over. You've to see it to believe it. He can only manage a couple and England has won!
Chris Jordan is back into the attack. Australia need a couple of big hits to ease the pressure. England has done a remarkable job of taking this match into the final overs. Stoinis and Agar dealing in ones and twos at the moment. They need to manufacture a big shot from somewhere... Oh Dear! Instead we have a run out. Ashton Agar has been run out as the batsman tried to steal a single off the last ball. England favourites now! AUS need 15 off 6.
Tom Curran is back into the attack. Good over from Tom given the stage of the match. Just seven runs from it, more importantly no boundaries conceded. Australia needs 19 off the last two. Stoinis has to be the man to see Aussies through. Agar is no muck with the bat either. AUS 144/5 after 18 Overs.
Mark Wood to bowl out. Now Wood gets a wicket, cleans up Carey and England are right back in this match. Oh Australia, what are you doing? Ashton Agar, left handed bat, comes to the crease. Four runs and a wicket from that over. Excellent spells from Archer and Wood after a rather rudderless start. AUS 137/5 after 17 Overs. Wood: 4-0-31-1
Marcus Stoinis comes to the crease. Jofra Archer is back into the attack. Warner collects a couple off the first ball, before being bowled off the next ball! Whoa! What's happening? Archer nails the yorker this time and Warner loses his stumps. He falls for 58. Alex Carey joins Stoinis. It is still Australia's game to lose but England will feel one more wicket here and they could be in with a serious chance! Brilliant over from Archer. 6 runs and a wicket. AUS 133/4 after 16 Overs. Australia needs 30 runs in 24 balls. Archer: 4-0-33-2
Adil Rashid to continue. And he has a wicket! Steven Smith is out caught for 18. Twist in the tale? Surely not but England will celebrate nonetheless. Glenn Maxwell, right handed bat, comes to the crease. He is off the mark with a single. GONE! Two in an over for Rashid as Maxwell departs ... Three runs and two wickets from that over. AUS 127/3 after 15 Overs. Rashid: 4-0-29-2.
Moeen Ali, right-arm off break, comes into the attack. Smith has walked out with positive intent: hammers a maximum over long-on. Australia now has the game by the scruff of its neck. Nine runs from that Moeen over. AUS 124/1 after 14 Overs. Australia need 39 runs in 36 balls
Adil Rashid is back into the attack. Good over from the leggie: just four runs from it but Australia wouldn't mind. The required rate is under 7 and they have a long list of power hitters to follow... AUS 115/1 after 13 Overs.
Steven Smith comes to the crease. Wood to continue. England sticking to raw pace from both ends. Warner gets off strike with a single. Smith opens his account by pulling a 151 kph delivery for four! 100 comes up for Australia. He follows it up with another hit to the square-leg fence for four. This could all be over in a hurry at the Ageas Bowl. Warner gets to his 50 with a single ... a good knock after an edgy start. AUS 111/1 after 12 Overs. Australia needs 52 runs in 48 balls
Jofra Archer is back into the attack... A single is followed by a wide. Now, Archer is working up some really good pace but Finch and Warner are still out there, that's what matters as far as Australia's concerned. Both batters inching towards their fifty, going neck and neck really. GONE! WICKET against the run of play and it's that man Archer. Gets Finch out caught and the partnership has been broken. Finch falls for 46. AUS 98/1 after 11 Overs.
Mark Wood is back into the attack. He starts with a wide. Wood is cranking it up here: a 147 kmph delivery followed by 149 kmph snorter. Serious pace. An extremely pacy over from Wood comes to an end. Four runs from it. AUS 91/0 after 10 Overs. Australia needs 72 runs in 60 balls
Rashid continues. Warner moves into the 40s with a couple. Gets off strike with a single. Finch, meanwhile, hits the first six of the run chase and follows it up with a four. Nothing going England's way... Make that two successive boundaries. 14 off three balls. Finch turning it on in this over. 17 from it in the end. AUS 87/0 after 9 Overs.
Tom Curran is back into the attack. Warner collects a couple of braces to move to 36. Tom errs in line... concedes a wide. The next ball, Warner helps it to square third-man for three. Runs coming way too easily for the Aussies at the moment. Another expensive one for England - 10 from it. AUS 70/0 after 8 Overs.
Adil Rashid, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack. Will the England spinners have the same impact as their Australian counterparts? We shall find out soon. The signs are promising... as Rashid comes to the end of a probing first over. Five runs from it. AUS 60/0 after 7 Overs.
Jordan is back into the attack. Finch welcomes him with a boundary. Both openers getting stuck into the English bowlers in the Powerplay. Fifty comes up for Australia with a single. Just the start the visitor would've wanted. Another good over - 10 from it. AUS 55/0 after 6 Overs. Australia needs 108 runs in 84 balls
Another change in bowling. Tom Curran, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. Dot. Single. Dot. Good start from Tom so far. Three singles to end the over. Four from it in the end. AUS 45/0 after 5 Overs.
Change in bowling. Chris Jordan, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. Good start... Two back-to-back dots with Warner on strike. The left-hander makes up for it with a boundary to third-man off the next delivery. It was proving to be good recovery from Jordan until that wide off the last ball. The extra delivery costs England four runs as Finch flays a cut past point. AUS 41/0 after 4 Overs.
Archer to continue. Warner keeps out an inch-perfect yorker first ball before scoring a boundary through backward square-leg off the next. It is followed by a brace to mid-wicket. Warner takes a single next ball, gets Finch back on strike and the Aussie captain too gets a boundary. 11 off this one as well. AUS 31/0 after 3 Overs.
Mark Wood, right-arm fast, comes into the attack. Warner greets him with a boundary to fine-leg, albeit in a streaky fashion. Next delivery, the ball just sails over mid-on and Warner collects two. He has been lucky these last couple of deliveries, has Warner. Looking a bit rusty the southpaw. Again gets a boundary and again, not in complete control of his shot. But doesn't matter how they come as long as they come! 11 from the over. AUS 20/0 after 2 Overs.
Archer starts off with a short ball.
Finch Warner is straightaway off the mark with a single. Finch sees off two dots before collecting two back-to-back boundaries off Archer. Good start to the chase. Nine off the over.
AUS 9/0 after 1 Over.
Welcome back for the run chase. Australia will fancy its chances with 163 to chase, but England has an arsenal of quicks and spinners to thwart the visitor. Here we go. Warner and Finch are at the crease. Warner is on strike. Jofra Archer will open the attack.
========================
Pat Cummins to wind up the innings. He starts by conceding a single to Jordan. Rashid can't get this one away. Single followed by a dot. A wide yorker right on the money. Rashid steals a bye next ball. Jordan collects a couple more off the fourth ball. Two more off the fifth. And he finishes off with a boundary, does Jordan. England set Australia a target of 163.
Kane Richardson strikes! Malan is out caught . Big blow to England. Could be the difference between 160 and 180. He is out for 66. Adil Rashid comes to the crease. Richardson is in the middle of a probing spell. RCB will be disappointed to not have him over in the UAE this season. Just five runs from the over. ENG 152/7 after 19 Overs.
Adam Zampa to bowl out. Malan reached his fifty with a single off the last over. He is the one who has held the innings together but sadly, hasn't found any support from the middle-order. That's unfortunate: Zampa concedes five wides. Malan hits the very next ball for six. Crucial runs for the host... He follows it up with yet another maximum. This is poor bowling... Malan turning it on. 22 runs off that over. ENG 147/6 after 18 Overs. Zampa: 4-0-47-0.
Kane Richardson is back for another crack. Massive props to Australia for fighting back after that wayward start. England looked set for a total north of 180 at one point and now, thanks to the Australian spinners, they've had to adjust their approach. The visitor showing why it is the No. 1 ranked T20I side in the world: some excellent death bowling as Richardson gets rid of Tom Curran now . Chris Jordan comes to the crease. A single to end the over. Three runs and a wicket in the 17th over of a T20 game. Gold dust. ENG 125/6 after 17 Overs.
Maxwell to continue. Kings XI Punjab fans will be mighty pleased with how Maxwell has fared in this game so far. Given the conditions in the UAE will aid spin, Maxwell's value just went up a few notches you'd imagine. Just five singles off that over. Brilliant. ENG 122/5 after 16 Overs.
Ashton Agar is back into the attack. Meanwhile, Malan moves to 44 with a well-placed boundary. Good recovery from Agar. Just four off the remaining deliveries. Spinners tightening the noose on England in the middle overs. ENG 117/5 after 15 Overs. Agar: 4-0-32-2.
Maxwell to continue. He strikes again! Second wicket in as many overs for the all-rounder as spin continues to cause England trouble. Moeen Ali departs. Aussie spinners vindicating their skipper's decision to bowl first and how! Tom Curran comes to the crease. Another excellent over from Maxi. Three runs and a wicket. ENG 109/5 after 14 Overs.
Adam Zampa is back into the attack. Hello there! Malan swipes the first ball over backward square-leg for six. He is playing a good hand here, is Malan. He ends the over with a boundary to deep mid-wicket. 14 runs from that over, an expensive one. ENG 106/4 after 13 Overs.
Glenn Maxwell, right-arm off break, comes into the attack. Malan starts with a brace to deep extra-cover. GONE! And the wickets continue to fall for England: Morgan is caught by Smith and the move to introduce a third spinner has worked wonders already. Moeen Ali comes to the crease. Six runs and a wicket from that over. ENG 92/4 after 12 Overs.
Mitchell Starc is back into the attack. Malan welcomes him with a boundary to deep extra-cover. Starc has struggled with his radar today. In between, Eoin Morgan has joined Malan. Morgan gets off the mark with a boundary: a half-volley is dispatched for four. Starc all over the place at the moment. 11 runs off that over. ENG 86/3 after 11 Overs.
Agar to continue. Agar, you beauty. Australia's ploy to play two spinners is already reaping benefits: danger man Banton departs for eight and Australia slowly clawing its way back into this contest. Five runs from the over. ENG 75/3 after 10 Overs.
Zampa continues. Baton doesn't waste any time: reverse sweeps one past backward point for four. This kid's got some serious talent! Another good over for Australia, the boundary notwithstanding. Zampa follows up the boundary ball with five dots and a single. ENG 70/2 after 9 Overs.
Ashton Agar is back into the attack. Spin from both ends. WICKET! Agar has got the big breakthrough: Buttler is out caught for 44. Tom Banton, right handed bat,and the man in form comes to the crease. He opens his account with a single to long-off. End of a successful over. Just three runs and a wicket off it. ENG 65/2 after 8 overs.
Adam Zampa, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack. Zampa will replace fellow teammate Kane Richardson at RCB. Can he get a breakthrough here? It was a decent start with the ball from the leggie - three runs off the first four balls before Malan drove one through deep extra-cover for four. England top-order giving Australians no breathing space at the moment. ENG 62/1 after 7 Overs.
Cummins continues. Buttler defends with an angled bat. Dot ball. Haven't seen too many of those today with Buttler on strike. ... Just as I say that, he clobbers one wide of cover for four. He is in sublime touch, is Buttler. Good recovery from Cummins though. Just three runs off the next four deliveries. ENG 55/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Dawid Malan comes to the crease. Change in bowling as well. Kane Richardson, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. Malan gets off the mark with a boundary to fine-leg. A tidy over from Kane really, given how his teammates have been getting hammered all around the park in the Powerplay. Five runs off the over. ENG 48/1 after 5 Overs.
Pat Cummins, right-arm fast, comes into the attack. He starts off by conceding a single. He gives the strike back to Buttler, who leans forward and drives Cummins through extra-cover for four. What a start this for England and Buttler! Hang on.... it's a wicket against the run of play. GONE! Cummins strikes. Bairstow is out caught! ENG 43/1 after 4 Overs.
Starc to continue. Fascinating to watch Buttler operate in the shorter formats. Looks a different player. The struggle in Test whites makes way for flamboyance in T20s. Such an asset at the top of the order. He collects a brace off Starc before dispatching him to sweeper-cover for four. Impeccable timing from Buttler. Aussies leaking runs at the moment. And once again, Buttler finishes the over with a big hit: this time to deep backward point for four. 11 runs from the over. ENG 35/0 after 3 Overs.
Ashton Agar, Left arm orthodox, comes into the attack. Buttler welcomes him with a maximum over long-off. What a shot. Just deposited over mid-off for six. Good start for the Three Lions. He follows it up with a four to long-on. He means business today, does Buttler. And he finishes the over with yet another big hit, this time the ball sails over long-on for six more. 16 off it. ENG 24/0 after 2 Overs.
Bairstow and Buttler to open the innings. Mitch Starc with the new ball. Starc starts off with a wide. Good recovery from Starc, who has looked a little rusty so far and understandably so. Bairstow punishes a fractionally full delivery outside off by driving it through covers for four. ENG 8/0 after 1 Over.
========
We are just minutes away from the start of the first T20I at the Ageas Bowl. While England has been in the thick of things for the past couple of months, Australia is playing its first competitive match since March! Long break, isn't it? Overcast conditions in Southampton. Aaron Finch looked pretty confident at the toss... For England, Jos Buttler will open the innings with Jonny Bairstow. Malan at 3. om Banton will bat at 4. Some big names from both camps will be heading straight to the UAE for the IPL after this. So, expect the eight franchises to follow this match closely!
TOSS UPDATE: Australia has won the toss and opted to field
Interesting choice of playing XI from Australia: two spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar in the team, Marcus Stoinis gets the nod ahead of Mitch Marsh.
For England, Buttler, Archer and Mark Wood are back.
SQUADS:
Australia (Playing XI): Aaron Finch(c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey(w), Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
England (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Dawid Malan, Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan(c), Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Denied a Twenty20 World Cup this year because of the coronavirus outbreak, cricket fans might have the next best thing in the upcoming days. A series between England and Australia.
They are the top two teams in the T20 world rankings — Australia is No. 1 — and their fierce sporting rivalry is deep-rooted. They also have some of the most explosive batsmen and fastest bowlers in world cricket.
What more could you ask for?
The Build-up
The English players will wear black armbands in memory of former England cricketer David Capel who passed away earlier this week.
Here's how England fast bowler Jofra Archer's last appearance in limited-overs cricket panned out for the Three Lions. Not bad, eh?
Joe Root has been left out of the three-match T20I series against Australia as his spot in the playing 11 isn’t guaranteed, says England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan.
After being overlooked by England for most of the international summer, Mark Wood will look to make the most of his opportunity against Australia in the upcoming white-ball series and send a message ahead of next year’s Ashes.
Australia coach Justin Langer believes his team has regained the respect of international cricket after the ball-tampering scandal of 2018 that shattered the country’s reputation.
Squads:
England: Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan(c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Tom Banton, Joe Denly, Tom Curran
Australia: Aaron Finch(c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey(w), Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Daniel Sams, Josh Philippe
What: Australia tour of England, 2020
Where: Ageas Bowl, Southampton
Date: September 4
Time: 10:30 PM IST
(The match will be aired on Sony Network and live streaming will be available on SonyLiv App)
Hello and welcome to Sportstar's LIVE coverage of the first T20I between England and Australia at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton.
Comments
SHARE