England are warming up nicely for the T20 World Cup and they will be aiming to complete a 3-0 series clean sweep over tournament hosts and defending champions Australia in Canberra on Friday.
Jos Buttler’s side, who claimed a good 4-3 series victory in Pakistan last month, held their nerve to win the first T20 against the Aussies in Perth by eight runs and took Wednesday’s second game by exactly the same margin at the Manuka Oval.
The series concludes at the same ground in Canberra and Australia, who won the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, will want to get a victory on the board before they start their title defence against New Zealand on October 22.
Aaron Finch’s men beat the Kiwis in last year’s World Cup final and they have been drawn in Group 1 alongside England, who take on Afghanistan in their opening World Cup fixture in Perth.
Team news
Australia revamped their bowling attack for the second game of the series, recalling first-choice pacemen Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as well as spinner Adam Zampa, their leading wicket-taker at last year’s T20 World Cup.
With this year’s tournament starting on Sunday, neither team will take chances with the fitness of key players so Australia could rest one of their frontline fast bowlers and give Kane Richardson a game.
Aussie opener David Warner passed a concussion test after a heavy fall in the field on Wednesday but may not be risked, while England’s Liam Livingstone (ankle) is still working his way back to full fitness.
There is fierce competition for places in England’s pace attack as Sam Curran, Reece Topley and Mark Wood have all made impressive returns from injury so Chris Jordan will be hoping for a chance to press his claims for a World Cup start.
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The stats
Australia may be the T20 world champions but England have dominated their recent meetings, winning six of the last seven 20-over clashes between the teams.
That run includes an eight-wicket win at last year’s World Cup, in which Buttler smashed 71 not out off just 32 balls, and the opener had a similar impact in Sunday’s first T20, cracking 68 off 32.
Buttler scored the only century of the 2021 T20 World Cup, against Sri Lanka, and followed up with four tons for Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Australia middle-order man Tim David also starred in this year’s IPL, hitting 16 sixes from just 86 deliveries for his franchise Mumbai Indians.
England paceman Wood dismissed the dangerous Warner, David and Marcus Stoinis in the first T20 in Perth and he has claimed three-wicket hauls in each of his last three T20 internationals.
Prediction
The third T20 in Canberra is a dead rubber in terms of the series but Australia will be determined to avoid a 3-0 defeat on home turf so close to the start of their World Cup title defence.
The Aussies are 8/11 for victory at the Manuka Oval via LiveScore Bet but there is little between these well-matched teams so a better bet may be the 3/1 about England captain Buttler top-scoring for his side.
The opener was the fourth-highest run scorer at last year’s T20 World Cup, racked up over 200 more runs than any other player at the 2022 IPL, and has a great T20 record against Australia.
Buttler was dismissed for a brisk 17 on Wednesday but his six previous T20 scores against the Aussies were 68, 71 not out, 77 not out, 44, 61 and 46.
Source: Livescore