Travis Head propelled Australia to a commanding 28-run victory over England in the first T20I at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, marking the start of a three-match series.
Head delivered a breathtaking performance, smashing a speedy 19-ball half-century as Australia posted 179 all out. He partnered with Matt Short (41) for an impressive 86-run opening stand before the Australians collapsed, losing their final seven wickets for just 47 runs. England’s Liam Livingstone (3-22) and Jofra Archer (2-31) spearheaded a strong bowling effort that helped restrict Australia.
England’s innings began dramatically when captain Phil Salt was dismissed for 20 off a no-ball. They stumbled to 46-3 by the end of the powerplay, with debutant Jordan Cox contributing 17 runs. A 54-run partnership between Livingstone (37) and Sam Curran (18) provided some hope, but they fell to Josh Hazlewood (2-32) and Sean Abbott (3-28), respectively. Facing an uphill task, England required 35 runs from the final over, ultimately finishing at 151 as Abbott took the final wicket by bowling Saqib Mahmood.
With this victory, Australia goes 1-0 up in the series, with the next match set for September 13 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, live on Sky Sports.
A Strong Start for Head and Australia
Head’s explosive batting helped Australia reach 86-0 by the end of the powerplay, with him scoring 30 runs off one over from Curran. While he eventually fell to Mahmood’s short ball, Australia maintained their momentum with the support of Josh Inglis (37), who steadied the innings before being dismissed by Curran.
Australia’s collapse began when Livingstone took two wickets in two balls, trapping Marcus Stoinis (10) lbw and sending Tim David packing for a golden duck. Curran then dismissed Inglis, and Archer replicated Livingstone’s success, removing Abbott and Xavier Bartlett in consecutive deliveries.
Mahmood capped off the bowling display by taking out Cameron Green (13) with a yorker as Australia’s innings drew to a close after 19.3 overs.
England Struggles Despite Early Promise
England faced a shaky start to their innings, with Salt’s dismissal following a no-ball leading to a 46-3 position at the powerplay’s end. Will Jacks (6) soon followed, and although Salt and Cox found some runs off Hazlewood’s over, England struggled to form lasting partnerships as they fell to 68-4 after 10 overs.
Livingstone and Curran briefly revived the innings from 52-4 to 108-6, but both fell quickly to Zampa and Hazlewood. Jamie Overton (15) added a few runs before being bowled by Zampa, and with further wickets tumbling, the team faced mounting pressure.
Requiring 35 runs off the final over, Mahmood hit Abbott for six, but England’s hopes ended when he was bowled the next delivery.
Reactions: England’s and Australia’s Captains Reflect
England captain Phil Salt acknowledged the challenges faced, stating, “They played well, fair play. Head gave them a head start in the powerplay. We did manage to drag it back quite nicely, but losing too many wickets later on hurt us.”
Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh praised his team’s performance, particularly Head’s talent: “[Travis] Head and [Matt] Short both started amazingly. We aimed for a score above 200, and it’s great to begin the series with a victory.”
Fans can catch the second T20I between England and Australia live on Sky Sports Cricket on September 13, with coverage starting at 6 PM before the match begins at 6:30 PM.
Credit: Sky Sports
