England v Australia tips, best bets for 1st T20 International

Welcome to our preview of the England v Australia Twenty20 International at Southampton on Friday (Saturday, 3am Australian Eastern Standard Time), the first match of the Australians’ six-match limited overs tour.

The series will comprise three T20 Internationals and three One-day Internationals (see schedule below) and marks Australia’s first competitive cricket since March.

It should be a cracking series between two of best short-forms sides in the game, with Australia ranked No.1 in T20 cricket and No.5 in ODIs. World champions England are ranked No.1 in the 50-pver game and No.2 in T20s.

England should have a decisive edge when it comes to match fitness as they have played Test series in the British summer against West Indies and Pakistan, as well as limited-overs matches against Ireland and Pakistan.

Their three-match T20 series against Pakistan ended on Tuesday with a narrow loss to Pakistan that made the series 1-1, with one match washed out. They have called in the express pacemen for the arrival of the old enemy Australia, with West Indies-born Jofra Archer and Mark Wood returning to the side.

England team news, preview

Test captain Joe Root was not named in the Twenty20 squad but will return for the one-day internationals, while champion all-rounder Ben Stokes is not playing after his father was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Power hitter Jason Roy (side) missed the series against Pakistan and is due back for the ODI series against Australia.

Australian team news, preview

The Australians have been on a roll in the shortest form of the game with specialists such as captain Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell devastating if they can get a start, along with opener David Warner. Spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar are also ranked among the top five bowlers in T20 though it remains to be seen how they will fare at the Rose Bowl, where the T20 matches will also be played.

The Australians have had no competitive action apart from a couple of intra-squad clashes last weekend, where Maxwell looked in great nick.

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England v Australia limited-overs schedule 2020

T20 Internationals
September 4: First T20I, England v Australia, The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 6pm local time
September 6: Second T20I, England v Australia, The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 2:15pm local time
September 8: Third T20I, England v Australia, The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 6pm local time

One-day Internationals
September 11: First ODI, England v Australia, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1pm local time
September 14: Second ODI, England v Australia, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1pm local time
September 16: Third ODI, England v Australia, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1pm local time

Squads for England-Australia limited overs series

England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. Reserves: Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood

England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood. Reserves: Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

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Read on for our England v Australia betting tips for the 1st T20 International at Southampton on September 4.

England v Australia odds

Start:	6pm local time, September 4
Venue:	The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Head-to-head odds:	England ($1.75) v Australia ($2.05)
Top run-scorer:	England:Jonathan Bairstow 3.50, Tom Banton 3.75, Jos Buttler 3.75, Dawid Malan 4.50, Eoin Morgan 5.00. Australia: David Warner 3.50, Aaron Finch 3.75, Steven Smith 4.25, Matthew Wade 5.50, Glenn Maxwell 6.00, Josh Philippe 6.00, Marcus Stoinis 8.00, Mitchell Marsh 9.0.

England v Australia tips – 1st T20

Here are our best bets for the 1st T20 between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl:

England v Australia prediction 4/9/2020

England have a big home ground edge, but it’s not as clear-cut with no fans in attendance and without the raucous Barmy Army doing their best to remind David Warner and co of their failings. In the T20 arena Australia have been fantastic for the past year or so. The Pakistan-England series featured high scores as the bowlers were wayward without the usual practice under their belts. But the Australian attack is extremely experienced, and we expect the likes of Starc and Pat Cummins to prove a real handful. Our final England v Australia prediction? Australia to win at $2.05.

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England vs Australia details

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