England sent a warning notice to other teams at T20 World Cup with the demolition job of Australia in their Super 12 Group 1 match on Saturday in Dubai. Jos Buttler hit a stunning 71 not out as England gunned down 126 in just 11.4 overs to decimate their arch-rivals on the biggest stage of T20I cricket.
Australia huffed and puffed to get to 125 in 20 overs after a timid batting effort from their top-order. Captain Aaron Finch hit 44 but there was no other notable contribution as the likes of Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills ran through their batting order.
However, chasing 126, England looked like they were batting on an entirely different pitch. Jos Buttler went hammer and tongs as England post 66 runs in the powerplay — the highest powerplay score in the tournament so far. Buttler hit his fifty in just 25-balls as Eoin Morgan’s men put on a masterclass of big-hitting.
All-rounder Ben Stokes, who is not featuring for England in the T20 World Cup, and former England captain Michael Vaughan were among the many who were left awestruck by England’s brutal onslaught against Australia.
England have played a fearless brand of cricket that propelled to World Cup glory in 2019. They are on top of Group 1 table with 3 wins from as many matches.
While their batting firepower has always been scary for the remainder of the teams, England have stepped up with the ball despite the absence of Stokes and Jofra Archer. The likes of Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been getting the job done for skipper Morgan who has been in complete control of the proceedings.
England have two more matches to play but they move to Sharjah where they will face Sri Lanka and South Africa. Morgan said England are particular that they are not going to take anyone lightly and continue doing the good work en route to the semi-final.
“We treat everybody with same amount of respect. We go to Sharjah from here and again another challenge there and we are really looking forward to it,” he said.
