Ultimate guide: Hazlewood, Short return as Aussies sent in

Match Facts

Who: England v Australia, first T20I

When: Thursday, September 12. Coin toss at 3am AEST, first ball at 3.30am AEST (Wednesday, September 11, 6.30pm local time)

Where: The Rose Bowl, Southampton

How to watch: Foxtel and Kayo Sports

Officials: Alex Wharf and Russell Warren (standing), Martin Saggers (third), Mike Burns (fourth), Andy Pycroft (match referee)

Live scores: England v Australia match centre

Teams

Australia XI: Travis Head, Matt Short, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Cameron Green, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Experienced paceman Josh Hazlewood returns after overcoming a calf injury, joined by Xavier Bartlett and Matt Short, who replaces Jake Fraser-McGurk at the top of the order. Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly are the two others to miss out from the final match against Scotland.

England XI: Phil Salt (c) (wk), Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Reece Topley

England named their side for the series opener on Tuesday, handing T20 international debuts to Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton. Phil Salt will captain the team and keep wicket in Jos Buttler's absence, who will miss the series with a calf strain.

Squads

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia welcome Josh Hazlewood and Matt Short into their squad as they look to build on their 3-0 sweep over Scotland. Nathan Ellis has returned home due to a hamstring injury, replaced by fellow Tasmanian quick Riley Meredith, and he's one of several fresh faces in the tourists' 15-player squad who will be eager to impress against a stronger opposition.

England: Phil Salt (c), 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

England also have a new-look side, including their captain Phil Salt, who is deputising for Jos Buttler after he was ruled out of the series with a calf injury. Jordan Cox, Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton will be familiar names for Aussie fans having previously played in the Big Bash, while 20-year-old allrounder Jacob Bethell was drafted by Melbourne Renegades for KFC BBL|14 and left-arm seamer Josh Hull made his Test debut against Sri Lanka over the weekend.

Series fixtures

September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST

 

September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST

 

September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST

How to recap

Everything you could need will be right here on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

We'll have interviews, highlights and wicket replays in our match centre, while the Unplayable Podcast will keep you informed on the latest developments from Australia's UK tour.

Local knowledge

Players to watch

Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was electric against Scotland, setting an Australian record for the fastest T20 international century off just 43 balls. The visitors have enjoyed plenty of good times on their previous visits The Rose Bowl too, the venue where Aaron Finch set his 47-ball mark in 2013 that was only surpassed as a men's team record by Inglis on Friday.

Although overlooked in the Big Bash draft, England pace ace Jofra Archer has been in terrific form since returning from the T20 World Cup. He took 2-20 last Wednesday to help Sussex reach the T20 Blast semi-finals, and he only went wicketless once in eight matches for Southern Brave in this year's Hundred.

Recent form

Past 10 T20 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result

Australia: WWWLLWWWWW

Australia's only two losses in their past 13 matches cost them a spot in the World Cup semi-finals in June. An eight-match winning streak prior to those Super Eight losses included a 36-run win over England, and they enter this series in top form after sweeping Scotland 3-0 last week.

England: LWLWWWLNWW

The hosts haven't played since their World Cup semi-final loss to India in June, and they too have a new looking line-up with Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Chris Jordan and Mark Wood all missing from that squad.

Last time they met

Australia comfortably beat their Ashes rivals last time the met in the shortest format, with their 36-run victory in Barbados putting England on the brink of elimination from the T20 World Cup. Fortunately, the Aussies also beat Scotland a few days later, helping England progress to the Super Eight stage. Adam Zampa (2-28) was influential in that match, while Travis Head, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis all got going.

Head-to-head

Overall: England (11 wins), Australia (11 wins), no result (2)

 

At The Rose Bowl: England (3 wins), Australia (2 wins)

 

Most runs: Aaron Finch (619), Jos Buttler (584), Glenn Maxwell (343), David Warner (334), Alex Hales (311)

 

Most wickets: Chris Jordan (13), Adil Rashid (13), Mitchell Johnson (11), Josh Hazlewood (9)

Rapid stats

• Australia have won 13 of their 16 men's T20Is in 2024 (three losses), the most wins they've had in a calendar year in the history of the format (won 12 in 2022).
• Australia and England have played 24 times in the T20 format with both sides sitting on 11 wins (two no results).
• Australia won their most recent men's T20I against England by 36 runs at the T20 World Cup 2024, breaking a three-game losing streak; they will be looking to win back-to-back games against them in the format for the first time since February 2018.
• England defeated Pakistan 2-0 in their most recent multigame bilateral men's T20I series in England (May 2024), after going winless in their three home series prior in the format (one draw, two series losses); they will be aiming for consecutive wins in such series for the first time since July 2021.
• Australia have won 11 of their last 13 men's T20Is away from home, including each of their last three; they have won all five of their matches in that span when batting first on the day.

• England have lost three of their last four men's T20Is at The Rose Bowl, including each of their last two; a third consecutive defeat in this match would be their outright longest losing run at the venue in the history of the format.
• Australia have scored 65 per cent of their runs from boundaries in men's T20Is in 2024, the best rate of any team this year; indeed, they have hit a boundary once every 4.6 balls faced – the most frequent of any team and one of only two sides with an average of fewer than five in this category (West Indies – once every 4.8 balls faced).
• Mitchell Marsh (15) surpassed George Bailey (14) for the outright second most wins as captain of Australia in men's T20Is in Saturday's win over Scotland; only Aaron Finch (40) has recorded more in the history of the format.
• Tim David (Australia) has hit a boundary once every 3.7 balls faced in men's T20Is in 2024, the second most frequent of any player this year (min. 100 balls faced); Yashasvi Jaiswal (India) – once every 3.5 balls faced – is the number one while teammate Travis Head (once every 3.9 balls faced) is ranked fifth in this category.

• Australia have a collective batting average of 32.7 in men's T20Is in 2024, the best of any Test playing country this year; in addition, they have hit 141 sixes, the second most of any team (West Indies – 171).
• Tim David (Australia) has a batting strike rate of 186.1 in men's T20Is in 2024, the best of any player from a Test playing country this year (minimum 100 balls faced); he's scored 42 runs at a strike rate of 200 across his last two T20I innings (from 21 balls faced).
• Phil Salt is set to become the 11th player to captain England in men's T20Is; he's scored 24.5 per cent of England's runs when he's played in the format since the beginning of 2023, the best rate of any player for a Test playing country in that time (minimum 4 innings).
• Travis Head (Australia) has recorded a strong connection on 29.1 per cent of his 265 balls faced in men's T20Is in 2024, the second-best rate of any player (minimum 60 balls faced) from a Test playing country this year (Yashasvi Jaiswal – 29.4 per cent of 170 balls faced for India).
• Adil Rashid (England) has taken 27 wickets in men's T20Is since the beginning of 2023, 10 more than any other England player in that time; he's taken six wickets at a strike rate of 12 across all his three T20I innings against Australia at The Rose Bowl.

Where to next?

The two sides head west to Wales for the second T20 in Cardiff on Saturday where Australia last played in 2018 in a one-day international.

Qantas Tour of the UK 2024

Watch all the action from Australia's white-ball tour of the UK live and exclusive on Foxtel and Kayo Sports. Click here to subscribe.

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Matt Short (England games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

September 4: Australia beat Scotland by seven wickets

September 6: Australia beat Scotland by 70 runs

September 7: Australia beat Scotland by six wickets

September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST

September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST

September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST

September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST

September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST

September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord's, London, 10pm AEST

September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST