Australia vs England, 1st T20I: Preview, stats, and Fantasy XI
Australia will take on arch-rivals England for a three-match T20I series, starting Sunday. Australia, who host the ICC T20 World Cup this month, will look to make the most of these fixtures. However, they have rested their regular players for the series opener. Meanwhile, England come into the series on the back of a clinical 4-3 win over Pakistan. Here is the preview.
Australia have a slender lead over England (T20Is)
Australia owns a 10-9 win-loss record against England in the format (NR:1). The Aussies had won the 2018 home series (2-1) before losing the 2020 T20Is by an identical scoreline. England had mustered an eight-wicket win in their last meet during the 2021 T20 World Cup. Jos Buttler's 32-ball 71* took the Aussies to the cleaners.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Perth Stadium will play host to this fixture. The venue has hosted only one T20I, dating back to November 2019. Australia snatched a 10-wicket win while chasing 107 (109/0). It will be a cloudy affair, but no rains are being foretold. Pacers can be menacing on the conditions offered. The match will be live-streamed on the Sony LIV app (1:10 PM IST).
Here's Australia's squad for the first T20I
Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson.
Can Aaron Finch's men overthrow England?
Australia's scoring onus rests on an in-form David Warner and Cameron Green. Mitchell Marsh needs to get back his rhythm. Tim David certainly will have the eyeballs, post the 20-ball 42 against West Indies. Australia's bowling attack looks a bit fragile for this fixture. Spinner Ashton Agar needs to chime in with economical spells. Kane Richardson can extract pace and bounce from the wicket.
England have a star-studded line-up
Jos Buttler's return from the calf injury bolsters England's batting line-up. Harry Brook and Alex Hales could be a handful as was visible in the Pakistan T20Is. Ben Stokes, who will play in his maiden T20I game in 2022, needs to gather momentum ahead of the T20 WC. Reece Topley and Mark Wood remain a nuisance, while Chris Jordan's death-over antics will hold impetus.
A look at the Probable XI of both sides
Australia (Probable XI): David Warner, Cameron Green, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson. England (Probable XI): Jos Buttler (c and wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
Who are the key performers?
Middle-order batter Harry Brook has slammed 303 runs at 43.28, striking at 151.50. Versus Australia, Jos Buttler has clobbered 392 runs at 39.20 (50s: 3). Pacer Mark Wood has clipped six scalps this year, averaging 7.33. David Warner has hoarded 219 runs in 2022 while averaging an awe-inspiring 54.75 (50s: 2). Right-arm quick Kane Richardson has snared 42 wickets at 22.33.
Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Jos Buttler, David Warner (c), Aaron Finch, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook (vc), Ben Stokes, Cameron Green, Kane Richardson, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Nathan Ellis. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Jos Buttler (c), David Warner, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Kane Richardson (vc), Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
