The defending champions England failed to outclass Australia who won their second consecutive match inthe T20 World Cup 2024 match played at the Kensington Oval Barbados on Saturday.
Australian bowlers dominated the defending champions, restricting them to 165/6. England got off to a blistering start in their chase of an impressive total as openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler formed a rapid 73-run opening partnership.
Played aggressively from the very beginning, Salt hit 37 runs off 23 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, at a strike rate of 160.86.Salt's innings was cut short when Adam Zampa dismissed him with his first ball of the spell.
Captain Buttler played a crucial role in the innings with an excellent performance. He scored 42 runs off 27 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes before being dismissed by Zampa.
Following Buttler's dismissal, the Aussie bowlers maintained control over the defending champions, putting pressure with economical overs. Will Jacks (10) and Jonny Bairstow (7) failed to score significantly.
Vice-captain Moeen Ali attempted to make an impact but fell victim to Pat Cummins in the 16th over after scoring 25 runs off 15 balls.
Faced with the calculated bowling line of the Aussies, the English batters struggled to play aggressively.
Among bowlers, Cummins delivered an outstanding performance, securing figures of 2/23, while Zampa finished with 2/28.
Earlier, batting first, Australia set a competitive 202-run target for England to win the crucial match.
The openers, Travis Head and David Warner, set the platform with 70-run stand in five overs as the 2021 champions made 201 for the loss of seven wickets.
Head made 18-ball 34 while Warner scored 16-ball 39. Skipper Mitchell Marsh contributed with 25-ball 35.
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell made 25-ball 35 while Marcus Stoinis played a cameo 17-ball 30.
Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers, picking 2-44. Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali bagged a wicket each.
Playing XIs
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood