Clinical Australia fire T20 World Cup warning in England demolition
Australia has demolished England at the T20 World Cup, following up a brutal batting display with a clinical bowling performance that has the Poms on the cusp of an early exit.
Australia has pushed England to the precipice of a chastening World Cup group stage elimination, after a savage all-round performance in Barbados.
David Warner and Travis Head set the emphatic 36-run victory up with a crushing power play batting first as Australia bludgeoned its way to its biggest ever Twenty20 World Cup total, finishing on 201.
England came out of the blocks flying in reply, before Adam Zampa (2-28) enhanced his status as a worthy challenger to Shane Warne’s legacy as Australia’s greatest white-ball spinner with a game-breaking two-wicket spell.
Marcus Stoinis also continued his outstanding start to the tournament with both bat and ball, following up his man-of-the-match performance against Oman with a classy 30 off 17 in the middle innings and then a crucial wicket in the second innings.
England wilted to finish 6-165 and are now staring down the barrel of a run-rate dog-fight with UK little brothers Scotland to qualify for the next stage.
Provided Scotland beat Oman tomorrow, England won’t be able to better Scotland’s two wins and one point for a wash-out – and would need to finish with a superior net run rate to get to the Super 8s.
England looked a team under pressure on Saturday in Barbados, with frustration appearing to bubble over between teammates who at times seemed exasperated in the field as Australia took hold.
A controversial decision to open the bowling with two spinners was punished by Australia, as Head destroyed Will Jacks over the short boundary to hammer a 22-run second over which set the platform for the dominance that was to come.
Even after Warner (39 of 16) and Head (34 off 18) departed, Australia’s middle-order all contributed as well with the team finishing with 14 sixes for the innings to produce the biggest total of the World Cup so far.
Australia’s first-choice team was also cemented in the brilliant display.
Pat Cummins (2-23) returned to the attack, replacing Nathan Ellis and showed his class with the dismissal of Moeen Ali (25) tightening the screws on England after Zampa had removed both openers at a critical juncture of the match where Jos Buttler (42 off 28) and Phil Salt (37 off 23) threatened to lasso momentum from Australia.
The old firm of Hazlewood and Cummins took the pace off the ball superbly in the middle overs and the mountain was too great for England to climb – having conceded way too many runs to be competitive on a tricky pitch Australia made to look easier than it was.
Australia with two wins to start the tournament now has the luxury of giving other squad members Cameron Green, Ashton Agar and Josh Inglis a game – if they so desire – in the next two group matches against Namibia and Scotland.
Although qualification is not yet guaranteed, it would be unbelievable if Australia can’t score the one more victory they need to book their place in the Super 8s.
There was a sloppy piece of fielding from Head in the seventh over when he stepped on the rope for a regulation catch of Salt off Mitchell Starc.
As well as giving Salt a life he gave up a six.
But Zampa’s brilliance meant the slip-up didn’t matter and otherwise Australia caught well in the outfield – particularly two outstanding grabs from Starc and Warner.
Re-live the action live below!
6:36AM: A STATEMENT WIN FOR AUSTRALIA
Australia win by 36 runs.
6:19AM: ENGLAND IN A HOLE
Australia’s Test-match fast bowling attack has come to the fore in Barbados, with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins putting England to the sword.
England is on the ropes and need a miracle in the last five overs, after Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali became the latest victims to leave their side floundering at 5-128 chasing a mammoth 202 to win.
Hazlewood continued with the good work of Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis before him to have Bairstow caught by Glenn Maxwell on the fence, before delivering a 15th over where he conceded only two runs. Maxwell, apparently copping flak from the crowd after delivering a 20-run 14th over, gave the patrons behind a wave after completing the catch.
Then Cummins – back into the line-up for this match – had danger man Moeen caught brilliantly by David Warner in the deep looking into the sun.
Australia has nailed the middle period of the match.
England needs 74 off 26.
5:55AM: STARC CLASSIC LEAVES ENGLAND IN TROUBLE
Marcus Stoinis has continued his monster tournament with another vital wicket as Australia begin to turn the screws on England.
In a critical passage of play, Australia has pegged back England’s rampaging openers superbly with Adam Zampa taking two and then Stoinis removing Will Jacks thanks to a stunning outfield catch from Mitchell Starc.
In the Ashes, Starc was robbed of a catch when he was ruled to have rubbed the ball on the grass as he slid on his knees after taking the catch.
But this time the tall man got down low diving forward and once securely in his hands, kept the white ball safely lofted above the grass.
Glenn Maxwell then chimed in with a three-run over in the 12th and the dots have started to build up on England in pursuit of Australia’s 201.
England 3-96.
5:48: ZAMPA TURNS THE TIDE
Adam Zampa has struck twice in three overs to help Australia arrest back control of an epic World Cup group game in Barbados.
England captain Jos Buttler (42) had smashed Zampa for six down the ground, but next ball the leg-spinner got his revenge and Buttler’s attempted reverse sweep was hit straight to Pat Cummins at backward point.
The breakthrough leaves England 2-93 after 10 overs and well and truly still in the game given Australia was 2-102 at the same stage. Although they now have to plough ahead with two fresh batsmen at the crease thanks to Zampa’s brilliant game-breaking surge.
5:34AM: ZAMPA STRIKES AFTER ENGLAND TARGET STARC
Adam Zampa has saved Travis Head’s blushes after removing danger man Phil Salt to break England’s rampaging run-chase in Bangalore.
At the start of the seventh over, Head produced a potentially costly blunder when he stepped on the boundary rope taking a regulation catch and gifted Salt a life and another six.
England were flying at 0-73 after 7 overs, but then captain Mitchell Marsh threw spinner Zampa the ball for his first over – and the right-armer immediately delivered.
Zampa crashed through the defences of Salt and Australia finally had its first wicket defending 201 – the biggest total of the tournament so far.
Australia were 2-82 at the same stage of the innings.
Batsmen are punishing the short boundary at Bridgetown and bowlers are needing to bowl a lot of cutters and off-pace deliveries to survive.
5:30AM: ENGLAND OFF TO DANGEROUS START
They’re behind the required run rate, but it’s been a more than acceptable start from England, reaching 0-54 by the end of the power play.
Phil Salt has looked particularly dangerous, collecting five boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 29 off 19, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both going at more than 10 an over.
5:10AM: WARNER AND STOINIS IGNITE AUSSIE INNINGS
David Warner and Travis Head have exploded in the power play to give Australia the biggest total of the World Cup so far, but England’s openers are replying in kind.
Australia punished England for their gamble to open the bowling with two spinners, as Head (34 off 18) destroyed rookie spinner Will Jacks to the short boundary for a 22-run second over.
Warner jumped in on the action when he hammered Mark Wood for three massive sixes in the fourth and Australia was 70 off five overs by the time Warner departed for 39 off 16.
Australia finished their 20 overs with a grand total of 7-201, powered along by a series of contributions from Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Matthew Wade – and primarily Marcus Stoinis (30 off 17).
There was controversy as well, with umpires inexplicably refusing to call dead ball to a Adil Rashid delivery to Wade where the Australian had backed away before the ball was bowled.
Wade remonstrated with umpires but a crucial delivery went to waste.
England got off to a flying start of their own in reply and are 0-40 through the first four overs.
Australia’s fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have copped plenty of punishment and desperately need a wicket to break the momentum for England with so much batting still to come.
PREVIEW
Pat Cummins will storm back into the Australian attack in a bid to sink England’s World Cup qualification hopes in Barbados.
Australia is yet to confirm its XI for the group clash on Sunday morning (AEST), but Mitchell Starc has dispelled any injury concerns by making an immediate return to bowling in Barbados.
The Ashes grudge-match in the shadows of the Malcolm Marshall stand shapes as a classic fast bowling shootout, but with a significant twist given conditions at Kensington Oval may not provide the ideal surface for a wicket-taking blitzkrieg.
Bajan-born England quick Jofra Archer returns to battle against Australia for the first time since he violently felled Steve Smith in the 2019 Ashes, while Mark Wood turned the 2023 Ashes on its head with his blistering 150km/h thunderbolts.
Insiders feel Archer will pose a serious challenge to Australia’s batsmen because his height will give him a greater chance to exploit variable bounce on this unpredictable surface.
However, there is a feeling Wood’s skiddier style might make him a target.
Australian captain Mitchell Marsh said sheer pace can still produce devastating results even on slow pitches in Twenty20 cricket, and will call his own superstar weapon Cummins back into the attack after a strategic rest.
“I daresay Patty will come back in. He’s played a lot of cricket. He had a long travel (to reach the West Indies). We wanted to make sure he was cherry ripe for this game,” Marsh said.
“They (Wood and Archer) bowl 150km/h so that’s always a threat. They’re two quality bowlers and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Australia has the chance to really put England under the pump with victory, because England’s first-up washout against Scotland has put them on a potential net run-rate collision course with the Scots to qualify for the Super 8s stage of the tournament.
Starc bowled off his full run-up on the centre-wicket at Kensington Oval on Friday, dismissing any concern his premature exit from Australia’s first group match against Oman was anything more than cramp.
It’s not guaranteed Starc will line-up against England, given Australian selectors rested Cummins from playing Oman due to his hectic IPL schedule and exhaustive flight over to the West Indies.
Starc has endured that exact same workload, and a nightmare 65 hour journey to reach Barbados, and is likely to be rested at some point during the group stage.
Marsh said he would wait to decide a final XI with death bowling specialist Nathan Ellis and second spinner Ashton Agar still in contention to face England.
“Starcy’s all good. Just a bit of cramping the other night. There was no unnecessary risks taken. He’s fit,” Marsh said.
“No team yet.
“I think we certainly know the conditions we’re going to be faced with. One of the key things we learned is just about trusting ourselves.
“Our first game of the World Cup, maybe (there was) a bit of nerves.
“It was nice to get the win and looking forward to tomorrow (Sunday morning AEST, ACST and AWST).
“With the 15 we’ve got (in the squad), we’ve got a lot of options with the team we can pick.
“We’re certainly not set on anything.
“We just want to pick the right team to win a certain match, then go from there.”
Australia is vying to complete the first ever ‘Triple Crown’ of cricket by adding this Tweny20 World Cup to the 50-over World Cup and World Test Championship trophies they already hold.
Marsh was also part of the Australian side that won the 2021 T20 World Cup, but denies that recent pedigree of success played any factor in this campaign.
“I don’t think so – no. I think I’ve spoken about it a few times, but one of the key elements of our success over the last period of time is our ability to stay present in high-pressure situations, but also where we are now at the start of a World Cup and tomorrow is about beating England and moving on from that,” Marsh said.
“The carrot is there for every team at the moment to win this World Cup and I feel very lucky to have been a part of some successful teams over the last 18 months.
“But this is a fresh start in foreign conditions and I guess we’re just really looking forward to that challenge of seeing how far we can go.”
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