There has been no respite for England, both on and off the field. Ever since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, the English players have played the Hundred, and two three-match Test series against West Indies as well as Sri Lanka. But this will be the first time the Three Lions will play an international T20 match after their defeat in the semi-final at the hands of the eventual champions, India. Off the field, too, a lot has happened. From talks of sacking both the white-ball captain and coach, to eventually getting rid of the coach and keeping the captain. The captain, Jos Buttler, picked up an injury, keeping the drama alive and leading to struggles to find a new white-ball captain. But now, a mere hours before the start of the game, things seem a little stable. Stability is the same as that of a house of cards, but stable anyway.
Australia have had a lazy summer (winter if you are an Aussie too) break. Contrary to how their rivals reacted and despite their early departure in the second consecutive T20 World Cup, the Aussies decided to opt for a level-headed approach. They did, although, play Scotland in a three-match T20I series, that series was more of a warmup in one of England’s neighbors.
Team Overview:
Jos Buttler was added to the squad but his recent setback in recovering from his calf injury means he might sit the whole series out, including the one-day matches after the T20I series. Phil Salt will deputize for him in his absence and will be leading a relatively wet-behind-the-ears team. Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton are set to make their T20I debuts. Overton, however, will only contribute with his batting skills lest he triggers his recently healed back injury.
Mitchell Marsh will lead the Aussies who come fresh from a 3-0 win against Scotland. Jake Fraser-McGurk might be sidelined after his double ducks and a timid 16-ball-16 during the Scotland tour. Marsh cleared the air regarding Hazlewood’s place. The Aussie quick had some niggles in calf but as per his captain, he is good to bowl during the match.
Head-to-Head Matches:
England and Australia are in a tug-of-war when it comes to facing each other head-to-head. Both teams have played 24 T20Is against one another and have won on the dot 11 matches each. 2 of these 24 games ended up without any results.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Southampton has a nice weather for a T20I game in the evening. The surface will favour the batters more but the bigger boundaries than most other in the country would bring an interesting aspect to the game. There is also no forecast for the game that could ruin a four game which has sold out all of its tickets.
Prediction:
Its tough to choose who can outdo the other when it comes to these rivals but given that Australia have a touch more experienced side than England could mean they can get over the line, albeit with a lot of luck and hardwork.
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
England: Sky Sports Network, SkyGo (Live Streaming).
Australia: Willow TV, Kayo Sports, FoxTel (Live Streaming)
India: Sony, Sony LIV app and FanCode (Live streaming)
Others: CricHD
