England, fighting first in the first match of the T20I series against Australia on Friday, put up 162/7 in their 20 overs. They got off to a strong start courtesy of Jos Buttler (44), but they were glued back by the spinners of the visiting team. Dawid Malan (66) was the lone survivor in the middle order for England, as the wickets kept dropping around him. Glenn Maxwell (2/14) and Ashton Agar (2/32) had some early breakthroughs for the Aussies before Kane Richardson (2/13) had a brilliant death spell to constrain the home team.

Australia, in answer to a cracking start, courtesy of David Warner (58) and Aaron Finch (46). They dropped from 124/1 to 133/5 as a few fast wickets threw the chase wide open in the last quarter of the innings. Marcus Stoinis, who was on strike for the last time, and Australia needed 15 to win, got 13. England has earned two races.

Highlights:

England Elect To Bat First:

Australia won the toss and opted for the field. England to fight first. Aaron Finch wins his first toss in almost six months and has selected the first cup.

Starc Gives 8 Runs In First Over:

Starc starts with a big one. Begin the wayward. Nasser Hussain says that their lack of match practise would be the problem for Australia. They’ve been playing as a team for six months. England, on the other hand, has played consistently over the last few months. Bairstow is going to get the first boundary of the day. Push through the covers. ENG 8/0 for 1.

Buttler In Golden Form:

Buttler has taken a few shots to perfection against Starc. 10 runs in the over for him. Bairstow, rare for him, plays Buttler ‘s position as a foil as he cracks from the start. England power to 35/0 after 3 overs. Pat Cummins to the 4th cup. And Buttler keeps on with his excellent innings. Times had another shot to perfection in order to get another four through the covers. The quickness of the outfield also helping him. Buttler on 34 off 17. ENG 41/0 after 3.4.

ENG 55/1 After 6 – Buttler On 41:

Kane Richardson, Australia ‘s new bowler. David Malan, the new man in England. Get off the mark with four of them taking off his legs. Malan, frequently guilty of getting off to a late start, plays a few dot balls to finish the fifth round. Cummins bowls are the last powerplay done. Buttler’s going to keep running. Picks the slower ball from Cummins and drives another four. Buttler on 41 off 23 balls at the end of the Powerplay. ENG 55/1 after 6.

Buttler OUT For 44 Off 29:

It’s Agar who’s got the last laugh. The Australian spinners are going to get them off to the dream of starting non-power play overs. Agar builds up the momentum by giving away only two runs in the back before Buttler swings in desperation, but finds Cummins in the middle. Not the link he’s been searching for. Tom Banton is coming in at 4. ING 65/2 after 8

Morgan, Malan Look To Get Innings Back On Track:

Morgan is out at 5 to join Malan as England tries to reclaim her advantage. In the last four overs, just 20 runs have come, with Zampa and Agar tightening the noose on England’s score number. Starc ‘s back to the 11th bowl as Finch shifts to the pace again. And it’s a really expensive thing. Malan and Morgan are both going to get one four in the over. Morgan is fortunate once when the top edge lands in no man’s land. ENG 86/3 after 11.

Fourth Wicket – AUS Spinners On The Money:

Glenn Maxwell is on the offensive. And he’s making his first over! Eoin Morgan is out to 5. After a strong start, England continues to lose its way. The spinners continue to do the trick for the Australians, aided by some excellent fieldwork. It’s a perfect running grab on Steve Smith this time. Moeen Ali joined Malan, and England was in a trouble spot. 92/4 of ENG after 12.

Fifth Wicket – Maxwell’s 2nd Wicket:

Malan’s slog sweeps Zampa for six as the thirteenth begins. Ends the over with the next boundary to the square leg. Malan, now 38, is playing the leading role for England in this essay. 14 runs come over from the 13th. A big welcome to England. Maxwell moves on to the bowl in the 14th. And he’s going to get another wicket! Moeen Ali the one to fall to pressure this time as he gets a top edge that is caught by Zampa. Maxwell’s 2nd wicket now. England 109/5 after 14.

50 For Malan – ENG 125/6 After 17:

Kane Richardson’s bowl on the 17th. England, under strain as the runs have dried up, is trying to do something out of the ordinary to get a hit. Tom Curran is trying to play the spy. Oh, Missing. And then he’s caught up in the snow. Curran is out to 6. Malan is going to get to his 50’s with a single off the last ball. Chris Jordan joined him at 8:00.

ENG 162/7 After 20:

A brilliant spell of Kane Richardson ‘s death. He finishes with 2/13 in 3 overs. Change of pace and yorkers, all on display from him that Rashid and Jordan are both swinging and missing. Cummins bowls the 20th as England manages to get the score just above 150. Some wild running between the wickets in the last one. Jordan is connecting to the last ball. Four of them to finish! England put up 162/7 in their 20 overs. 163 to win for Australia.

Chase Begins:

Jofra Archer is starting bowling for England. The portraits of David Warner. Finch on the other hand. It’s 163 to score. Warner is going to get off the ground with a single. Finch is going to get two limits to finish the over. Australia is off!

Australia Capitalize On Powerplay:

In the Powerplay, England is bleeding. Sharp running between the wickets of Warner and Finch often contribute to their woes. Warner draws Archer to four, this time for a convincing boundary. Finch discovers the fence in the back of a short ball later. Australia get to 31-0 after 3. Morgan is going to Chris Jordan to interrupt the rhythm of the race. Warner flies it over the top of the first boundary. Finch ends the over with the second. England’s pace bowlers have failed to have an impact. AUS 41/0 after 4.

AUS 55/0 After 6:

Tom Curran’s bowls are the sixth. Bowls a number of balls, Finch struggles to read his slower ball and seeks a fielder on every other shot. It’s just four runs from the line. An economical over against the run of the game. Jordan is still in the 6th position. Finch welcomes him by dragging him out of the first ball of the over for four. England has all of its fielders as far away as possible. 10 runs still come off the over. Australia finish the Powerplay with 55/0, they need 108 off 84 balls to win.

AUS 91/0 After 10:

Adil Rashid goes in his second over for 17 runs. Nothing to work for England today! In the 9th position, Finch lies in Rashid. A pull for six and two hefty drives for four in the over from the captain of the Aussie. Wood brought back to the 10th bowl with the match coming out of England’s grip very quickly. Wood ramps up the pace – bowling at 149 kph – winding Warner up with a delivery that crashes into his midriff. Just 2 runs and a wide in the 10th over. AUS 91/0 after 10, need 72 to win in the last 10.

2 Wickets In 1 Over:

Smith is going to collapse for 18. He ‘s going for another high shot at Adil Rashid, but Bairstow’s taking a deep running grab. England is going to get a second wicket. Glenn Maxwell is joining Warner. And he’s falling too. Rashid’s going to take 2 buckets in an out! Maxwell is gone because of 1. Stoinis joins Warner, with two fast wickets dropping. AUS wants 36 out of 5 overs.

Warner Bowled For 58:

Jofra Archer Bowls Warner for 58. Three fast buckets. Australia lost 3 buckets to 5 runs in 7 hoops. England has found a way back! Two new batsmen-Carey and Stoinis-remain to be played in the centre with the last part of the chase on a two-speed track. They had been crusting 2 overs ago. AUS 133/4 out of 16 requires 30 out of 24 balls.

England Pulling Off A Miraculous Recovery:

Wood brought back some extra speed to challenge the two new batsmen in the 17th. And he’s going to get another star! Carey is out of here! He’s bowled to 1. The leg stump is uprooted. England is pulling back a dramatic recovery! Australia is losing its sixth. Australia dropped from 124/1 to 133/5. Oh, what a disaster! AUS 133/5 after 16.3, needs 30 off 21.

AUS Need 19 In 2 Overs:

Tom Curran at the bowl on the 18th. Which means Morgan and Jordan are going to have to finish off this inning. Stoinis and Agar have to face Australia. Now, a lot of fielders inside the circle for England, with the chase unexpectedly being an incredibly close one. Both of the batsmen are looking to get runs in singles. Only get a ball fight and run for their lives. AUS 144/5 requires 19 out of 12 balls after 18.

AUS Need 15 In Last Over:

The Jordan bowls are the 19th. He digs it in a small bowl on the centre of the stump line. No width is provided. The last boundary was over in the 14th. Both batsmen are also struggling to get away from singles. They set this up for the last time over hit-out. Stoinis misses the fifth ball cut off. Absolute carnage of the last ball. Jordan is making a lbw appeal against Stoinis. Aborts the appeal midway to throw at the stumps. Run Out! Stoinis to be on strike for the last over. But he will have a new partner for the last over. AUS 148/6 after 19, need 15 in the last over.

Six:

Curran bowls the last over. Stoinis swings and misses the first ball. Connects with the second! Six! Over long-off. 9 required off 4 balls.

AUS Need 5 Off The Last Ball:

Stoinis also swings and misses the third delivery. Two runs from the next ball through the batsmen. 7 of them required 2 balls off. Another couple are running off the fifth ball. AUS needs five of the last ball to win. 4 to take us back to the Super Over.

England Win By 2 Runs:

What an end to it! England has won! It’s by 2 runs. Australia, which crossed half an hour ago, has somehow managed to lose this match. It’s by 2 lengths. It’s just 2 runs. What a clash this match was!