England will be hoping to level the series when they face Australia in the second of their three T20 internationals, which will be played at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday evening.
The first match of the series between these familiar foes saw the visitors put in an impressive performance and emerge with a 28-run victory in Southampton on Wednesday night.
Match preview
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After hopes of a perfect summer were brought to an end by Sri Lanka in the final Test between the teams earlier this week, a sold-out crowd turned out at the Rose Bowl to spur England on to victory in their first match of the T20 series against the touring Aussies.
Unfortunately for the home fans, it was not to be, as the men from Down Under continued their impressive form, following a clean sweep over neighbours Scotland in the lead-up to this series against the Three Lions.
England spinner Liam Livingstone (3/22) and fast bowler Jofra Archer (2/31) each claimed two wickets in quick succession, halting Australia's momentum batting first, with their efforts helping their side dismiss the visitors' last seven wickets for just 47 runs.
However, in response, England's innings got underway dramatically, as stand-in captain Phil Salt was dismissed off a no-ball, but the hosts failed to make the most of their good fortune, managing only to stumble their way to 46/3 by the end of the first powerplay, with debutant Jordan Cox adding 17.
A 54-run partnership between Livingstone (37) and Sam Curran (18) injected some momentum into England's innings, but the frequent loss of wickets and their struggle to accelerate the scoring left them needing an almost impossible 35 runs in the final over.
In the end, most would likely agree that the hosts never genuinely looked to be in control of the match at any point and lost by 28 runs, giving the Aussies a 1-0 lead heading to Wales this Friday.
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Meanwhile, Aussie opener Travis Head looked dangerous at the crease from the outset, smashing 30 runs off Curran in the fifth over to propel Australia to 86/0 by the end of the powerplay.
Head eventually top-edged a short ball from Saqib Mahmood to one of England's three debutants Jordan Cox at deep square leg soon after, and his skipper Mitchell Marsh followed him back to the pavilion in quick succession.
However, Josh Inglis and Matt Short helped steady the ship with a 29-run partnership, and despite Archer and Livingstone's effort with the ball, the Aussies still managed to post a defendable total of 172/8 in their 20-over allotment.
With the ball in hand, the Australian bowlers kept the opposing batsmen at bay, picking up wickets at regular intervals, and by the time Rashid was dismissed, leaving the side at 142/9, a large portion of the home fans had already given up hope and headed for the exits.
That result marked the second consecutive victory for the Aussies over England following their World Cup group-stage triumph, and the result will give the visitors a huge psychological boost to wrap up the series in Cardiff at the start of this weekend.
Team News
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England fielded three debutants in Jamie Overton, Jordan Cox and Jacob Bethell for the first T20, but all of them largely failed to make a much of an impression, scoring a combined 34 runs between them, while the latter ended wicketless in his three-over spell with the ball.
The undoubted standout performers for the hosts were Archer and Livingstone, while Saqib Mahmood's spot in the side for the second T20 is likely safe after notching up 2/21 in his three overs.
After an impressive World Cup campaign in the US and West Indies earlier this year, Adam Zampa's spin once again proved challenging to handle, with his leg breaks claiming two crucial wickets and tightening up the scoring in the middle overs.
Head's excellent form with the bat put Australia on the front foot early and they never looked back, and his performance will be vital to their chances of going 2-0 up in this match. Given their performance in the opening match, it will come as no shock if the visitors send out an unchanged 11 in game two.
England squad: Phil Salt (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Short, Adam Zampa
Series so far
T20 1 of 3: Australia won by 28 runs
Australia - 179 (19.3)
England - 151 (19.2)
We say: Australia to win
While England showed glimpses of their ability in game one, they are quite noticeably still looking for their best 11 with several newer faces in the squad, and we feel that the Aussies, with a much more settled team, will be able to secure the series win in this one.
