Moving on from leveling the series 1-1 against Pakistan, hosts England will now face their toughest opponents and arch-rivals Australia when the two teams play against each other in the eagerly-anticipated first T20 International at Southampton on Friday. The last time both the team faced each other in a T20I clash was in 2020 and England won that game by 28 runs. ALSO READ | IPL 2020 CSK Team: Top Five Players To Watch Out For
While England cricket team have already played series against West Indies and Pakistan, the Aussies will play their first-ever series after the Coronavirus-induced lockdown.
England and Australia will play three T20Is and as many ODIs behind closed-doors, in a bio-secure bubble with zero spectators. The T20Is will be played on September 4, 6 and 8 followed by the three ODIs on September 11, 13 and 16.
For England, the likes of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood return back to the squad to add more power to their bowling attack. Also, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler will be seen once again opening the batting for their national team.
On the other hand, Aussies have come to face their old rivals with full-strength this time. England's batters have won many games for their team on the back of their hitting ability when the bowlers fail. However, this time, veteran Aussie bowlers like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will test the England batters with their attacking mentality.
England will be looking to keep their record intact of not loosing a single series after the COVID-19 break.
Eng vs Aus, 1st T20I Toss Update: Aussie skipper Aaron Finch has won his first toss in nearly six months and has opted to bowl first.
Teams:
England (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Dawid Malan, Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan(c), Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Australia (Playing XI): Aaron Finch(c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey(w), Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa