Australia continued their great form in T20 cricket to take the series opener against England on enemy soil, and now they head to Wales looking to win the series. Can England bounce back? Jack Tobin has you covered with his full preview and tips for free below!
England vs Australia: 2nd T20I Preview & Betting Tips
Cardiff, Saturday 14th September, 3:30am AEST
England
Squad: Phil Salt, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner
A poor display with the ball in the powerplay put England behind the eight ball right from the outset, and although they fought back, it was ultimately the difference in the game. Australia were 1/86 after six overs, Sam Curran (0/30 off 1) Saqib Mahmood (1/20 off 2), Jofra Archer (0/20 off 2), and Reece Topley (0/15 off 1) all struggled in the first six overs.
England pulled it back through the middle overs with the spin of Liam Livingstone (3/22) and Adil Rashid (1/23) as they bowled Australia out for 179 in the 20th over. England’s debutants failed to make an impact with Jordan Cox (17 off 12), Jacob Bethell (2 off 6 and 0/28) and Jamie Overton (15 off 9).
England barely fired a shot in the chase, outside of Liam Livingstone (37 off 27) Phil Salt (20 off 12) was the only player to score at least 20. England fell to 4/52 in the eighth over, and they never looked like getting near the target of 180.
Australia
Squad: Mitchell Marsh, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Ben Dwarshuis, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Travis Head (59 off 23) torched the Poms in the opening six overs, taking Sam Curran for 30 in the fifth over, as Australia reached 1/86. Opening partner Matt Short took his opportunity after Jake Fraser McGurk was dropped, making 41 off 26. Josh Inglis was good at number 4 making 37 off 27, with Australia’s new look top order showing some really positive signs as they look to establish a new core that will contend at the 2026 World Cup.
It was the usual suspects who did the damage with the ball as Sean Abbott (3/28), Adam Zampa (2/20) and Josh Hazlewood (2/32) contributed in knocking over England for 151.
The only concern for Australia in what has been an excellent tour of the UK so far, is the injury toll. After Nathan Ellis (hamstring) and Riley Meredith (side soreness) were sent back to Australia, Xavier Bartlett suffered an expected side strain in his final over. Ben Dwarishus has been flown over as a reserve for the squad.
Match Prediction
It was clear to see Australia had a vastly better preparation for game one, which was really separated by a brilliant over with the bat from Travis Head. England will be better for the run on Thursday, and should produce a better showing on Saturday morning. It’s difficult to see England having another game where only one batter scores more than 21 runs.
England have loved playing in Wales, holding an 8-1 record in T20I fixtures at Sophia Gardens. Australia have never won a white ball clash against England in Cardiff, the Aussies are 0-1 in T20I’s at Sophia Gardens and 0-3 in ODI’s against England at the venue. England are excellent value in this clash, and will bounce back to set up a series decider in the third game.
England to Win
$2.25 (1 Unit)
Prop Bet
Travis Head is arguably the best T20 batsmen in the world currently after producing an outstanding twelve month patch in T20I cricket. Since September 2023, Travis Head has scored 711 runs at a strike rate of 176 with five half centuries in T20 Internationals. In two T20I’s against England this year Head has scores 34 and 59, and has top scored in 3 of Australia’s last five T20I’s.
Tip: Travis Head Australia Top Run Scorer ($3.70 at Ladbrokes)
