In Southampton, September temperatures barely hit eight degrees, but Australia managed to keep England’s white-ball team chilled during their first game since Brendon “Bazball” McCullum was announced as the all-format coach.
The Australians had previously hammered England in their last two World Cup encounters—last year in India and earlier in the Caribbean in June—results that contributed to Matthew Mott’s dismissal and McCullum’s appointment.
After a three-match series in Scotland to adjust, the Australian side seemed better prepared than an England team missing Test players due to a packed international schedule, with their recent red-ball series against Sri Lanka concluding just days earlier.
Despite a strong start from Travis Head (59 off 23 balls) and Matt Short (41 off 26), which included Head overturning a caught-behind decision and smashing 30 runs off Sam Curran’s fifth-over, the target of 180 proved too steep. Adam Zampa (2-20) and the returning Josh Hazlewood (2-32) helped defend the total, and England were bowled out for 151 in the final over, falling short by 28 runs.
Head’s explosive start, which featured four boundaries and three sixes off Curran’s over, matched only by Ricky Ponting and Glenn Maxwell in Australian T20 history, set the tone. “We’ve had a consistent theme at the top, and whoever has come in has been able to play that,” Head said. “I’ve worked hard to play freely, and the support from coach Andrew McDonald and Test captain Pat Cummins has been crucial.”
Australia’s fielding was notably sharp, with Tim David and Cameron Green pulling off spectacular catches. Zampa was particularly effective, delivering leg breaks and googlies with precision, dismissing debutant Jacob Bethell and finisher Jamie Overton while conceding just one boundary in four overs.
England’s chase faced a setback at 4-52, but a 56-run partnership between Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran briefly revived their hopes. However, Sean Abbott (3-28) and Hazlewood struck crucial blows, with Hazlewood outsmarting Livingstone with a clever variation to claim his wicket.
Australia’s only setback came with an apparent side strain to young swing bowler Xavier Bartlett, who left the field with two deliveries remaining. All-rounder Green stepped up to cover.
With McCullum in New Zealand, Marcus Trescothick served as England’s interim coach and Phil Salt captained in place of Jos Buttler. England rested Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson, and despite a near-capacity Rose Bowl, England struggled to contain Head and Short, who piled up 86 runs in the powerplay. Head’s innings ended with him skying Saqib Mahmood, but his explosive start set up a strong Australian position.
A tactical shift by Salt led to Australia losing all ten wickets for just 93 runs as the run rate fell sharply. The spin trio of Adil Rashid, Livingstone, and Hull made the chase difficult. Rashid and Livingstone combined for 4-45 from seven overs, and Archer helped mop up the tail. Despite Green’s 13, the team suffered a hat-trick of wickets, leaving Salt to reflect, “The bowlers pulled it back well, and realistically, we should have chased it. We could have extended our partnerships more.”
