England vs Australia – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Australia taking place? Friday, 4th September, 2020 – 18:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Australia taking place? The Rose Bowl, Southampton
What is the expected weather for England vs Australia? 17c cloudy
What channel is England vs Australia on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream England vs Australia? The match can be streamed live using the SkyGo app
Where can I get tickets for England vs Australia? This match will be played without spectators
LAST MEETING
England beat Australia by 28 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England are coming off a tied T20 series with Pakistan as they fell short in their run chase against the tourists on Tuesday but the very fact they got even more game time will serve them well as they now welcome Australia to Southampton.
- Eoin Morgan will be able to count upon some of his Test stars for this game as Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Mark Wood all return to the fold and there is a chance that all four could come into the side.
- Buttler and Archer will almost certainly start which means one of the in-form duo Tom Banton and Dawid Malan may make way with seniority likely to play out, but the team continues to look formidable with the bat and now the return of Archer and Sam Curran strengthens the bowling significantly too.
AUSTRALIA
- Australia will play their first competitive cricket since the pandemic which means this series will be their first action in the shortest format of the game since their three-match series in South Africa back in February which they won 2-1.
- Despite the layoff, Australia will be confident coming into this series based on their form in recent times as they went unbeaten in all T20 internationals in 2019 and they are currently ranked as the number one team in the ICC World Rankings in this format.
- They have a wealth of options at their disposal as usual and the likelihood is that they go with their tried and trusted formula which means that Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis are likely to miss out but their expected eleven is bursting with quality.
THE PREDICTION
These two teams are arguably the best in the world in this format of the game and this opening clash between England and Australia on what should be a good track for batting promises to be a classic. England will be disappointed not to have seen out the series and beaten Pakistan but they have the advantage of playing much more competitive cricket than their arch rivals. That said, Australia will be fired up to start fast and have had plenty of time to prepare for this game. That should make for a superb match that could swing back and forth, but England’s greater activity in recent months should give them the edge.
