Australia Vs England: Hosts Keep Series Alive After Livingstone's Heroics Seal Win In 2nd T20I

England Beat Australia In 2nd T20I: Hosts keep the series alive after winning a nail-biting match at Sophia Gardens, and bring an end to Australia's four-match winning streak. Here are the details.

Liam Livingstone's all-round heroics drag England beyond the finish line, as hosts seal a memorable win in the 2nd T20I

Source : @X/englandcricket

England Beat Australia In 2nd T20I: England have sealed a thrilling victory in the 2nd T20I, as they beat Australia by 3 wickets at the Sophia Gardens, and with the win, they keep the series alive. The third and final T20I at Old Trafford , Manchester, on Sunday, September 15 will be the decided as the series is now levelled at 1-1.

The match belonged to two players: Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell, as their iconic innings overshadowed Jake Fraser McGurk's fifty and five-wicket haul of Matthew Short.

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That was some innings, Livi! 😱

Live clips: https://t.co/zd6mj52hLC

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/tp4TAH4X9Z

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 13, 2024

England Vs Australia 2nd T20I HIGHLIGHTS

Electing to bowl first, England were once again off to a dismal start, as the dynamic Australian opening pair of Travis Head and Matthew Short once again provided the visitors a flying start. However, this time around, the duo failed to last beyond the powerplay, as Australia lost Travis Head at 52 in 4.2 overs, and the left-handed batsman departed for an individual score of 31 off merely 14 deliveries.

England, however, failed to capitalise on the breakthrough as Australia avoided losing wickets at quick intervals but soon lost their momentum with the fall of Jake Fraser-McGurk's wicket, who managed to score his maiden T20I fifty.

England dried the pace of runs and Australia were staring down at the barrel of yet another death overs collapse but the inclusion of Aaron Hardie proved to be decisive, as him and Cameron Green unleashed a series of boundaries on Saqib Mahmood and Sam Curran to guide Australia at 193/6 at the end of their innings.

In reply, England endured a tough 1st over, which was then followed by a couple of expensive overs, as Phil Salt smashed Aaron Hardie for three consecutive sixes in the third over.

The momentum soon hit the rock bottom for England, as Sean Abbott's first over of the day produced two wickets, as the Australian fast bowler sent Will Jacks and Jordan Cox back to the pavilion.

England captain Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone showed calm and composure on a dry surface, as the duo maintained the scoring rate and saw off the threat of Adam Zampa.

Travis Head, who took charge of the Australian side in the absence of Mitchell Marsh, produced a piece of unorthdox thinking and the move proved to be a masterclass, as the introduction of Matthew Short as a bowling change paid dividends in the form of Phil Salt's wicket, who was looking extremely dangerous out there.

The home crowd went silent but soon found their voice, as Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell did not let the scoring rate dry and plundered boundaries at quick intervals, which eventually led the duo to score a match-winning partnership of 90 off 47 balls, and till the time Australia dismissed Jacob Bethell, the damage was already done.

First two wickets were picked by Sean Abbott, and rest of the five wickets were picked by batting all-rounder Matthew Short, but his valiant effort could not prevent a defeat for Australia, as England won the fixture with 6 balls remaining.