Australia got off to a winning start in the 3-match T20 series against England at the Utilita Bowl in Hampshire. Travis Head starred in the show with a quick-fire 59 and Sean Abbott led the bowling department taking 3 wickets to give Kangaroos a win by 28 runs.
After being put into bat first, Australia got off to a blistering start with openers Matt Short (41) and Travis Head (59) hitting 15 of the first 35 balls for either four or six. The duo put on an opening wicket stand of 86 before Head’s dismissal by Saqib Mahmood. Josh Inglis provided stability for Australia with a knock of 37, but the hosts failed to capitalize on their brilliant start losing all 10 wickets for 93 runs, ending with a score of 179 in 19.3 overs.
Sam Curran had a difficult evening with a bowl in his hand conceding 35 runs in 2 overs. He gave up a boundary on each of his first six deliveries, with three of them sailing over the rope for six. Having recently lost his spot in England’s ODI squad, this was far from the ideal start Curran would have hoped for in the T20I series.
In reply, England, with T20 debutants Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton, and led by Phil Salt due to Jos Buttler’s injury, struggled to 52-4 as wickets tumbled regularly on a chilly evening. Liam Livingstone was the top scorer for the hosts with 37 as they plumped for 151 in 19.2 overs.
Sean Abbott struck thrice for Australia (3/28) while Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa picked two wickets each. Travis Head was awarded the Man of the Match award for his 59.
“I was trying to acclimatize to a wicket with pace, hitting good shots and Shorty got a cracking start,” Head said in the post-match presentation. “A bit of a luck, but I’ve worked hard to play with a freer mindset,” he added.
England’s interim captain, Phil Salt hailed his team’s efforts and hoped for a response from his team in the second match. “Everything was good apart from the result. They played well. Travis Head came out swinging in the powerplay and gave them a head start. Australia did bowl well. At times we could have taken partnerships deeper.” Salt said.
The 2nd T20I will take place on 13 September at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
