England vs Australia, T20Is: All that you need to know
Australia will be touring England for their limited-overs assignments, starting with the three-match T20I series on September 4. England are currently embroiled in a T20I series against Pakistan, with the decider to be played tonight. The hosts will be wanting to get the job done against a resurgent Aussie outfit. Here's everything that you need to know.
Key players return to the squad, Roy and Stokes unavailable
England named a 14-man squad for the T20I series against the Aussies. The likes of Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Mark Wood return to the side after being rested for the series against Pakistan. However, explosive batsman Jason Roy has been ruled out of the series due to a left side strain. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes remains unavailable for family reasons.
Joe Root excluded from England's T20I squad
There was no place for Test skipper Joe Root in the T20I squad. Root has not played a T20I game for over a year, despite still being keen to feature in the shortest format. National Selector Ed Smith said that the door isn't closed for Root. "I don't think any door is closed to Joe Root. He's a brilliant cricketer," he said.
Australia had named a 21-member squad last month
Australia had named a 21-man squad for both the T20Is and ODIs last month. Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (vc), 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.
Rankings, venue, tv listing and timing
Australia top the proceedings in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings with 278 rating points. England follow suit with 271 rating points and will be aiming to topple the Aussies. The matches will be held at the Ageas Bowl. One can watch the games live on the Sony Ten Network. Timings IST: September 4 (10:30 PM), September 6 (6:45 PM), September 8 (10:30 PM).
A look at England's T20I squad versus Australia
England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
