wins it with a straight six! Buttler waltzes out and mows Zampa over the sight screen, a monster hit to finish - England win by six wickets with seven balls to spare!
England vs Australia, 2nd T20I at Southampton, ENG v AUS, Sep 06 2020 - Ball by Ball Commentary
6pm: So, England take the series, 2-0 up with one to play - but they'll need to win that if they want to seal the No. 1 ranking. Matt's report is in and we'll be back for some more tonktastic action on Tuesday. Thanks for the comments, see you all again then. Bye!
5.46pm: Presentations time, starting with Australia's Aaron Finch: "When you fail to get one of the openers out, who's a great player, you miss out. Thought if we matched their Powerplay, we could come out on top, we didn't pick up enough wickets. [Pitch?] Did a bit more than we expected, it seamed a bit. We thought it would start slow and get slower. We wanted wickets and to get into their middle order, need early wickets in this game. If he's hitting balls over fielders heads, you can wear it. [Spin right tactic at death?] Thought it was, maybe quicks in last couple, but thought spin was hardest to hit. Needed wickets to win the game. [Change selection for final game?] Not that far out from World Cup, important to drill our basics and get game time as a group."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "Pretty comprehensive, can't fault any facets. Put in a better bowling performance, to make inroads on a wicket like that was fantastic. Made life a bit easier throughout the middle. We were happy chasing down that total. Wicket was a bit soft on top, wanted to bowl first. We wanted to be aggressive, Jofra set the tone in the first over. Thought if we played smartly we would chase it down, with a world-class player like Jos at the top. [Buttler locked in at opener?] We'll look at options, want to get the best out of Jos whether it's at the top or middle order. [Finger?] Just sore at the moment, we'll see over next couple of days. Looking to play out best XI throughout."
Jos Buttler is Man of the Match for his unbeaten 77 off 54: [Opening?] "Best place to bat in T20s, wicket got a bit better and that was a manageable target. The guys bowled well up top and pegged them back. If we got through 2-3 opening overs and settled down, we got a partnership going with Dawid and that set us up. Every time Dawid's got a chance he does brilliantly, and at the end Moeen said he was happy to take on the legspinner turning it into him. When someone hits those two boundaries it takes the pressure off. [Finish it yourself?] The game can change quickly, bit of a tricky surface so you want to take ownership and see your team over the line."
5.38pm: Tension, what tension? If you do it that way, Jos Buttler can be both opener and finisher... A couple of minor wobbles but England saw things through pretty calmly in the end. Buttler and Dawid Malan set the platform, after Jonny Bairstow struck his own stumps, and then Moeen Ali struck two pressure-easing boundaries just when the game was getting tight
Here's Mayank: "What sort of captaincy this is? Zampa bowling 19th over when you have Kane's 2 overs left, Cummins left with 1 too. Zampa had given 47 in last game also on same pitch against same team. If I can remember this, why can't Finch?"
Adnan's thinking the same: "Poor captaincy.. should have been Cummins n Richardson for final 2 overs."
"Brilliant stuff from Ali," gasps Finn. "Just brilliant!!!"
And amit has been keeping score in the Moeen Ali Game (copyright Philip M McCart): "Moeen bowled one over, conceded 8 runs, and played 6 balls, scored 13 runs."
lobbed up and he comes across to stab through point
Seven off nine needed now
rifled over cover, Moeen has stepped up to the plate here! Stays still, opens the body up and drills this wide of long-off
pongo from Mo! Always a risk bowling spin this late into the game... Moeen dances out and smashes it over long-off for six!
pushes through the legbreak outside off, Buttler goes back and steers a drive square
Now, the other night, Chris Jordan conceded just four off the 19th... Zampa to bowl on this occasion
CraigE: "Is that last awful over from Archer going to cost England?" Would certainly be a lot less tense at this point if it had cost, say, 8 rather than 18
tossed up and Buttler takes the safety first approach with a bunt down to long-off
Good over for Australia so far, can he close it out...
full outside off, plays a late dab towards short third man and sets off
lobbed up wide of off, Moeen dances down but can only jam the ball to short midwicket
tucked into a gap leg side, just the single
"Omg, is it the collapse??" wonders Monish Pokhrel
slung down wide of the stumps from round the wicket, Moeen rocks back and cuts through point
flattish delivery outside off and Buttler prods it for one
Moeen Ali walks out, still not in great form despite his 60-odd against Pakistan the other day... Agar to bowl out, England needing 23 from the last three
slapped on the up, straight to cover, Maxwell grabs a head-height chance! No doubt about this, Morgan shakes his head and trudges off, looking to go hard right to the end and it's given Australia another window of opportunity
attempts to sweep this time, hit on the front pad and Australia go up... in fact, Finch has reviewed Michael Burns' not-out decision. Looked like he was outside the line of off, to me, maybe not spinning enough either. Yep, umpire's call on impact, missing off stump
smoked down the ground! Fullish in the slot and Morgan just plants the front foot and belts through the line
lobbed up on the stumps and worked behind square
drilled through the covers! Buttler stands tall and threads the needle between short extra and the man on the edge of the ring!
Andrew Proctor: "Banton is good as an opener but he isn't right to bat at 4." Seems about right on the limited evidence we've seen in ODIs/T20Is
over the wicket, flighted legbreak and Morgan gets tucked up reverse-sweeping, dobbles behind square for one
Adam Zampa and his haircut back for Australia... England need 33 from 24
appeal for lbw as Buttler paddles leg side, then sets off blindly, Morgan sends him back... No way that was straightening enough on middle and leg
"Buttler wicket here will surely bring some panic in England's batting camp." You betcha, ABINASH DAS
tosses this up straight and again Morgan nurdles one to the leg side
looped up on leg stump, clipped through square as he closes the face