DUBAI: England delivered a complete team performance to thump Australia by eight wickets and stamp their authority on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Eoin Morgan’s side chose to field and took four wickets in the powerplay for the second time in the tournament, reducing Australia to 21 for four with Chris Woakes the chief tormentor.
Due solely to 44 from skipper Aaron Finch, Australia set a target of 126 which England overhauled with ease, thanks to an incredible display of power and poise from Jos Buttler.
Buttler clubbed a brutal 71 from 32 balls, with five fours and five sixes to lead England home with 8.2 overs remaining.
Despite opting against using the off-spin of Moeen Ali up front as they did against the West Indies and Bangladesh, England sent Australia spiralling to nine for two.
David Warner couldn’t continue the form he showed against Sri Lanka, nicking the insistent seam of Chris Woakes to Buttler with the eighth ball of the game.
With the first delivery of the second over, Chris Jordan got one to stop on Steven Smith outside off stump and he looped a catch to that man Woakes at mid-on.
The early carnage was a mirror of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals in 2019, when a Woakes-inspired England reduced their rivals to 14 for three at Edgbaston.
No batter strikes at a higher rate against a single opponent than Aaron Finch, who started the game having taken England for 550 runs at 175.
The opener was given nothing to work with after he hit an overpitched Rashid delivery for four in the first over.
Finch and Matthew Wade embarked on a painstaking rebuild, faced with leg-spin from Rashid and Liam Livingstone which is far from the favourite fare of the Australian captain.
