The summer of cricket 2020

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A very strong position for England with runs on the board and a series lead in hand.

Pakistan going to have to produce something special from here to rescue the series

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I’d have thought they’ll go

Bairstow
Buttler
Malan
Morgan
Banton
Ali
Curran S
Jordan
Rashid
Archer
Wood

Gah wrong Curran!

Interested to see what speed Archer bowls at, if he can't consistently hit 90mph in a T20 game then his should presumably hasn't healed fully.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I’d have thought they’ll go

Bairstow
Buttler
Malan
Morgan
Banton
Ali
Curran S
Jordan
Rashid
Archer
Wood

Gah wrong Curran!

Surprises me a lot tbh. Toms been disappointing in the last few games and it leaves the attack very samey. Plus there's a genuine tail with the batting.

Banton seems to be listed at 4, odd place for him to bat but maybe they just want to give him time in the middle which morgan doesn't need so much ...or perhaps he will come in as a finisher anyway.

Buttlers justifying the selection so far, great powerplay so far for england even if Bairstows a spectator

(And hes out as soon as I comment)

Didn't ever really look comfortable for some reason. Still not a bad start for england with the rate at over 10

Did Finch mean to have a man there?! Very fine for a short third man!

Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Bantons struggling a bit to get going . Really key these two get the momentum back , england have been pegged right back

Also is Adama Zampa aging backwards?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Hes scoring faster than banton at the moment ....
.its also his role in the side coming in at 3 to ensure others can hit freely and avoid a rout. Overall though his innings tend to accelerate to a more than acceptable rate

...and banton holes out. Not every day can be his.

Australia massively on top now

Duty281 wrote:According to Cricinfo, Billings is retaining his spot and it's a straight choice between Malan/Banton for the number three position. Guess we won't have to wait too long to see if they're right.

Just shows Cricinfo don't know everything

Got the required fast start : Buttler in some decent form ; and the Aussies helped a bit with that "funky" idea of using a finger spinner with the new ball...I am not sure the move is a % play. But no doubt England will try the same with Moeen...

They've come back well since the field was allowed back out though. With three down and really only Mo to come England are in need of a partnership here from Malan and Morgan. 86/3 off 11 isn't anything special.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Striking at 150 in his T20I career so far.

...and not getting the partnership. Some good outfield catching !

A lot up to Mo now. The downside of opening with Buttler is that if Morgan doesn't fire they no longer have the finisher they need.

But perhaps Malan is going to provide the required fireworks : getting stuck into Zampa

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Yes, though he generally makes up for it if he bats long enough. The concern comes if he goes through a run of low scores.

117/5 with five overs to bat. 160 might be competitive if England can wriggle that high.

Soul Requiem wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Striking at 150 in his T20I career so far.

Not a huge sample size. Would imagine his T20 SR of 128 is more representative of his ability.

If you want an anchor, surely Root is the better option?

Not sure England have got this right tonight. If your strategy is too go mega hard, then you can’t have a tail that starts at 7. It works in ODIs as they bat a long way down.

Gooseberry wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Malan does like a slow start doesn’t he

Hes scoring faster than banton at the moment ....
.its also his role in the side coming in at 3 to ensure others can hit freely and avoid a rout. Overall though his innings tend to accelerate to a more than acceptable rate

He does (didn’t say he doesn’t!) - just coming in at 43-1 off 4 overs, ideally you’d want your 3 to be a bit better than14 (14) after 10 overs. Gave the Aussies some momentum back, and they have taken it really well (combined with the rest of them batting like plonkers and for some reason we’ve decided that Tom Curran at 7 was a good idea?)

Looks like we’ll be a good 20/30 short here

Not much wrong with Malan's work - as he goes to an excellent fifty from 37

The trouble is the other end. Australian spinners have strangled the scoring and they're well into the long tail...

That said , Malan is doing a fine job marmalizing Zampa at the death !

If England can edge up to 160, they have half a chance. Think they would still be 20 short but 160 is never a gimme if Jofra can nip a couple out early.

Outfield catching has been excellent

66 and out for Malan but he's given them a shot at perhaps 165 ? Not that it is easy for tailenders to nail these death overs from the main seamers...good finish from Richardson.

How many can they get off Cummins ?

162/7. Could be a pivotal boundary right at the death from Jordan. Good all-round bowling performance from Australia to limit England, especially after a strong England start.

England's bowlers will need to be on good form to defend this. Australia favourites, but they don't exactly bat deep, either, with Agar coming in at 7, so if England can get 2+ wickets in the PP it should be a close chase.

Only able to watch some of England's innings but, as Alfie said, still saw some excellent catches. Finch's take of Banton was exceptionally good - running backwards with arms outstretched as it appeared the ball would outpace him.

Tom Curran at 7 is at least one and probably two places higher up the order than he should be.

You have to strongly fancy Australia from here.

Don't know why people are so down on Malan. His domestic record is fudged by years before the game developed as it is now and before he became a specialist.

His time in international T20 cricket has been absolutely outstanding. BUT TOM BANTON GOT ONE 50

KP and Warne has me dangerously close to muting the TV

There are a lot of similarities in the batting orders. Plenty of firepower in the top 5, a consistent player at 3 who scores slightly slower, then the batting depth falls of quickly from 7 down.

England will need early wickets and the spinners to bowl well. If Finch and/or Warner get going they should make easy work of this.

Definitely a game on with this pitch and a good bowling attack though.

Gooseberry wrote:Don't know why people are so down on Malan. His domestic record is fudged by years before the game developed as it is now and before he became a specialist.

His time in international T20 cricket has been absolutely outstanding. BUT TOM BANTON GOT ONE 50

Malan is quality. It is also possible to rate more than one player at a time though. England have a lot of very good white ball batsman.

Not all of our cricketing brains work on a sort of mental barter system in which we have to think 20 players are rubbish in order to deal with the strain of praising a player

162 might be OK if they bowl well.

When you look at the figures , Australia ended up not using all of Cummins and Richardson and just might have conceded more than necessary. Yes the spinners did really well in the middle ; but the early over from Agar and the death over from Zampa have been expensive .

Hope Archer and Wood are switched on from the start.

Gooseberry wrote:Don't know why people are so down on Malan. His domestic record is fudged by years before the game developed as it is now and before he became a specialist.

His time in international T20 cricket has been absolutely outstanding. BUT TOM BANTON GOT ONE 50

Banton actually has two international 50s.

Archer's up at full pace but Finch picked that hook up very quickly.

Good pace from Archer in the first over and nearly does Finch with a slower ball but still 9 off the over. That's the worry with this opening pair, they could take the game away very quickly if they bat the entire PP.

Duty281 wrote:162/7. Could be a pivotal boundary right at the death from Jordan. Good all-round bowling performance from Australia to limit England, especially after a strong England start.

England's bowlers will need to be on good form to defend this. Australia favourites, but they don't exactly bat deep, either, with Agar coming in at 7, so if England can get 2+ wickets in the PP it should be a close chase.

For sure, not the strongest ever Australia batting line up. However, Cummins and Starc at 8 and 9 are anything but mugs and definitely capable of bashing a few. Admittedly a different format but when we had the 606 Ashes points scoring competitions I regularly opted for those two and they often delivered with the bat as well as the ball. Not sure either will be needed tonight, mind.

Gooseberry wrote:Don't know why people are so down on Malan. His domestic record is fudged by years before the game developed as it is now and before he became a specialist.

His time in international T20 cricket has been absolutely outstanding. BUT TOM BANTON GOT ONE 50

Can't say I understand the obsession with Banton and the constant dismissal of Malan.

No Moeen early on? Goodness.

Excellent start from the Aussie openers...but the English ones had a similar start.

Gooseberry wrote:Don't know why people are so down on Malan. His domestic record is fudged by years before the game developed as it is now and before he became a specialist.

His time in international T20 cricket has been absolutely outstanding. BUT TOM BANTON GOT ONE 50

Is anyone actually down on Malan? I can’t see anything where anyone is down on him

This is a bit of a mauling

Give Mo at least one token over before Aus overhaul Englands total!

Really is an absolute spanking, theres going to be some very smug Aussies in the socially distanced showers after this is done. So much for a first choice side!

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:This is a bit of a mauling

This isn’t a mauling

Id like to think it was Mos token over that was the turning point

Wonderfully exciting final over only spoiled by Warne's continuous references to Stoinis being the Hulk.

Jordans another player who seems to have realised his role and talents latte in his career but really does seem to be regularly delivering in the death overs now. Set up an unexpectedly tense finish

What an egg Australia have laid there.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:This is a bit of a mauling

This isn’t a mauling

What on earth happened? Switched over to the rugby with Australia none down and victory assured, switched back to see Australia needing 9 off 4 with just four wickets left.

The T20 equivalent of Headingley '19.

Great death bowling from Tom Curran...and that final boundary from Jordan was pivotal!

Oooph what a finish, relief for England but plenty of questions.

Aussies needed 39 off 36 balls with nine wickets left. Quite an astonishing comeback by England that!

Brilliant bowling by England in the closing stages - I adored Wood's final over - and at the death by Jordan and Curran. However, whatever way you look at it, Australia really snatched defeat from the jaws of victory!

Australia needed 39 from 38 with nine wickets in hand... Wow.

David Willey surely gets in England’s best side? Offers lateral movement with the new ball and lengthens the batting. Even if there is questions about when he bowls the rest of his overs.

guildfordbat wrote:Wonderfully exciting final over only spoiled by Warne's continuous references to Stoinis being the Hulk.

Putting Warne’s ridiculous commentary aside....isn’t Stoinis just incredibly bang average? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him finish an innings with the bat.

Ha. Amazing result. Couldn't comment last night as the site for some reason became unreachable here but loved that finish.

So what do we put it down to ? Massive Aussie choke ? Fantastic English bowling/Morgan captaincy ? Or Duty switching channels ?

Possibly a few reasons. Aussies were likely a bit rusty - though that didn't seem to bother Cummins , or Finch and Warner. Might have told on them when a few quick wickets fell and the pressure came onto their later order. And of course , like England , their desire for bowling options means they have a bit of a tail. (I note guildford's point that Cummins and Starc aren't total rabbits : but I think t20 is the format in which real batsmen and "bowlers who can handle a bat" tend to show the most difference. Same applies to England players like Tom Curran - who is way too high at seven. There are exceptions like David Willey)

But the death bowling of Curran and Jordan was quite outstanding. And Wood and Archer came back well in the late Middle after some rather ragged new ball stuff. As for Rashid : well that's what you get with a leggie. Sometimes he will get launched into the next county ; but he can take the wickets that turn a game...as he did then. His last over was ultimately the one that stopped the Australians from cruising
to victory.
Of course they should still have won. But that is why these games aren't just played on computers...

Looking forward to game two. Expect Aussies to come back hard...should be another good contest

JDizzle wrote:Australia needed 39 from 38 with nine wickets in hand... Wow.

David Willey surely gets in England’s best side? Offers lateral movement with the new ball and lengthens the batting. Even if there is questions about when he bowls the rest of his overs.

Well surely not since he didn't even make the squad. But its a legit question as to why he didn't, especially given Sam Curran came in to fill the same role but has a pretty mediocre record in the format whereas willey has long been a white ball specialist

I was surprised England didnt pick Sam for this game, both for the extra batting and left arm option. But Tom did do pretty well at the death and thos last 10 overs changed the game. Of course if they'd had a wicket earlier and a bit more batting they might not have needed the dramatic end.

Does feel like Englad have a lot of questions with the bowling. Jordan is cementing a place as a death bowler, fair on him hes better now than he ever has been with a specific role. Stokes obviously gets in because Stokes. Rashid is a given, and England as discussed at length are wedded to Moeen.

So for me theres two seam bowler open when everyone's available and three at the moment. I'm not sure what the best combination is, there's arguments in favour of all of them. England do need to find an answer though because they've shipped a lot of rns in the first 15 overs of all these games

Interesting call by Finch who wins the toss and, this time, elects to bat first. Don't think Morgan will mind that at all.

Both teams unchanged.

Not too surprised Finch chose to bat. Probably prefers to have the chasing pressure on England , as both sides are a little short in batting.
He'd fancy putting a good score up...

But no great start ! Warner gone for nothing...why on earth did he review that ?