Australia nails England, Miller rescues South Africa

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 9, (AP): Defending champion England charged at Australia’s tournament-best 201 total and came up 36 runs short in a one-sided Twenty20 World Cup contest on Saturday.
The first big heavyweight match – a day before India vs. Pakistan – failed to live up to the billing as Australia impressively squeezed England, which hit only three boundaries in the last six overs at Kensington Oval.

Forced to bat first, Australia made a brutal start by openers David Warner and Travis Head – 70-0 in 4.5 overs – but was pulled back and posted 201-7, the highest total in a week-old tournament featuring tricky pitches.

Tasked with making the third biggest successful run chase in tournament history, England took a swipe but decayed to 165-6. Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins took two cheap wickets each.
Australia moved on top of Group B with two wins from two matches, while England remained winless with Oman and Namibia.

England threw off-spin at left-handed openers Warner and Head without success. Head smashed Will Jacks’ first two deliveries for sixes, and Warner smoked him in the same over.
Pace didn’t bother the batters either. Warner hit three sixes and a boundary in one Mark Wood over.
Warner, playing England for possibly the last time, was out for 39 off 16 when he backed up to a Moeen Ali delivery that stayed low.

Head went in the next over, bowled by Jofra Archer for 34 off 18. Australia finished the powerplay 74-2.
Captain Mitchell Marsh put Adil Rashid on the roof, and Chris Jordan went for 18 in an over.
A change to Liam Livingstone’s leg spin was profitable, as Marsh was stumped for 35, and Glenn Maxwell departed for 28 three balls later.

Marcus Stoinis greeted Rashid with a one-handed six over backward square and smacked Livingstone over his head.
Australia reached 200 with three balls to go, and Stoinis was out for 30 off 17 – Jordan’s 100th T20 wicket – and Cummins was run out.

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