Australia beat England by 36 runs as Mitchell Marsh and Co. successfully defended 201 runs after being put into bat first at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Saturday. It is pertinent to mention that this is Australia’s first win in the T20 World Cup against England since 2007.
Travis Head (34 off 18) and David Warner (39 off 16) provided a rollicking start, adding 70 runs for the opening wicket. However, Moeen Ali and Jofra Archer removed both openers inside the powerplay and provided the much-needed breakthrough for England.
Mitchell Marsh (35 off 25) and Glenn Maxwell (28 off 25) kept the scoreboard ticking, but when it came to accelerating the innings, both set batters perished. Marcus Stoinis’s rapid 17-ball 30 runs injected some speed, and Matthew Wade’s 17* runs at the tail end of the innings helped the Aussies post 201/7 in 20 overs. 
Chris Jordan, with two wickets, was the highest wicket-taker for England but also conceded 44 runs in 4 overs. However, Jordan achieved the milestone of 100 wickets in T20Is. Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Liam Livingstone pocketed a wicket each.
Philip Salt (37 off 23) and Jos Buttler (42 off 28) provided a solid start for England in pursuit of a hefty 201 runs, adding 73 runs for the first wicket. However, both set batters failed to carry the momentum after the powerplay, falling prey to Adam Zampa.
Following the departure of both set batters, Australia staged a comeback and curbed the scoring rate, creating pressure on English batters. Will Jacks (10 off 10), Jonny Bairstow (7 off 13), Moeen Ali (25 off 15), and Liam Livingstone (15 off 12) never settled. They left the Three Lions in deep waters as the run rate kept creeping up, and eventually, England were restricted to 165/6 in 20 overs.
Pat Cummins (2/23) and Adam Zampa (2/28) shone with the ball for Australia, while Josh Hazlewood and Marcus Stoinis shared a wicket apiece.
Key Moments of the Match:
Head & Warner’s brisk start
Jos Buttler introduced Moeen Ali and Will Jacks to operate with the new ball from either end of the strip. Travis Head and David Warner batted sensibly in the opening over, scoring only 3 runs, but Pummeled Jacks for 22 runs in the second over to start their assault. The dynamic opening duo hammered the speedster Mark Wood for 22 runs in the fourth over of the innings, providing a blistering start for Australia.
Moeen Ali draws the first blood
The Aussie openers were going honkers and bonkers against the English bowling attack, and Buttler looked clueless. The English skipper brought back Moeen Ali to deliver the fifth over of the powerplay, which yielded the desired result for the Three Lions. The off-spinner deceived Warner on the final ball of the over with a short-of-a-length delivery that kept low and sneaked through the bat to crash into the stumps.
Hulk’s cameo at the tail end of the innings
No team had reached the 200-run mark in this World Cup before this match, but Stoinis’ 17-ball, 30-run cameo at the tail end of the innings helped Australia become the first team to score 200 runs in this tournament.
Zampa removes both openers
Philip Salt and Jos Buttler got into their grooves from the outset and kept the scoring rate in check in pursuit of 201 runs, scoring 54/0 in the powerplay. Zampa came into the attack and knocked over Salt on the first ball of his spell, drawing first blood, and then removed Buttler in his second over to send both English openers back into the hut. This proved to be the match’s turning point as England’s middle-order batters faltered and failed to reach anywhere near Australia’s total.
England’s first match against Scotland was washed out due to rain, with both sides sharing one point each. The defeat at the hands of Australia put the defending champions in a dire situation, as they needed to win their remaining two matches to advance into the Super Eight.
Jos Buttler and Co. will face Oman at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, on June 13. Australia will be up against Namibia at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, on June 11.
