Aussies v. Poms. T20 Series.

[Donny]

4 September.

All three games at The Rose Bowl, Southampton.

England v. Australia.

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6 September. Second match

8 September. Third match

[Donny]

The three match T20 series will be Australia's first international since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia is ranked No.1 in the format, with arch rivals England No.2.

[Donny]

England 7-162 def. Australia 6-160.

[Donny]

For the Aussies: Warner 58, Finch 46, Maxwell 2/14, Richardson 2/13, Agar 2/32.

[K]

Smith 18 (11)
Maxwell 1 (2)
Carey 1 (5)
Agar 4 (5).


Feeble! (But at least the last three contribute stuff other than just batting.)

"Give Marnus a bat" doesn't quite have the ring of "Give Matt a bat".

[K]

Australia need middle-order solution as England look to take series

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/19496/preview/1198236/england-vs-australia-2nd-t20i-england-v-australia-2020

"There was no way England should have won (or Australia lost) the opening match of the series: 39 off 36 balls with nine wickets in hand and two batsmen set is a cakewalk."

[K]

Oz humiliated. England seal series.

Oz 7/157
England 4/158 (18.5).
Buttler 77* (54).

Warner out for a duck.

Smith run out for 10. The only surprise is that it wasn't Smith's batting partner run out. Like S. Waugh, Smith is involved in countless run outs, but usually manages to arrange things so it's his partner who is sacrificed.

[Pies4shaw]

These are just warm up games for Australia. They haven't raised a bat in anger for months. Meanwhile, England has played two Test series and a T20 series against Pakistan before this. You'd expect Australia to get belted first couple of matches back, in that environment. They should certainly have won the first game - and would have but the encrustation of rust on the middle order.

[K]

If England win the 3rd slogathon, they will take over as number 1 ranked slogathon nation.

I don't know if there are any real consequences of the rankings, though.

[Pies4shaw]

Australia won the final game by 5 wickets, falling asleep.

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Australia still number 1 t20 ranking a lose last night would have gone to second but still 1 even though they lost the series 2-1 I got the Aussies to bounce back and win the odi series 2-1 they will win the first match

[K]

The much maligned Mitch Marsh was Man of the Match, rescuing Oz from a putrid 5/100 (13).

Oz's feebleness against spin was again exposed, Rashid returning 3/21 (4).
Maxwell (6) and Smith (3) failed again.

Smith is a liability. At least the other batting failures bowl.

[Pies4shaw]

As I said previously, these are just warm up games for guys who haven't raised a bat in anger for months.

England should be really, really concerned about how they could have been so close to losing this series on home soil, when they've been playing cricket consistently through their summer.

[K]

That's the problem with all T20s and ODIs. They feel like they don't matter at all. They are all just a warm-up for the WC, which is kind of a problem when an ODI WC is once every four years and there are about a thousand ODIs in between.