Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

ENG vs AUS 2nd T20I Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs AUS 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs Australia 2nd T20 Key Players | Southampton Pitch Report

It’s just not an England-Australia series without drama. No matter the format, you can count on these two sides to leave you on the edge of your seat, as well as deliver key talking points. And now, with this match on free-to-air TV in England, millions of eyes will be glued to the television screen to see how the action unfolds.

The crowd may have been absent, but the first T20I had everything. Talking points were aplenty, none more so than Australia’s incredible fall to be left stranded short when victory seemed inevitable. Some suggest a six-month layoff from international cricket is to blame. Others suggest Australia’s middle order woes – those seen in the 2019 50-over World Cup – are resurfacing again. Whatever the reasons may be, Australia needs to overcome them and deliver a strong performance in the second T20I to level the series.

England showcased their never-give-up attitude in white-ball cricket. Players believing in and expressing themselves has been a key ingredient in their white-ball rise in the past five years, and was on show in the opening T20I as the game looked gone. However, as England produced late with the ball, like Australia, they will want an improved batting performance. So, can they seal the series?

Also read: Do you write cricket blogs? Here are 6 tips to writing great cricket blogs!

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Aaron Finch loves this ground. He batted beautifully two days ago (46 off 32 balls) on the same ground he smashed 156 off 63 balls in 2013. Finch vs England: 10 T20Is, 471 runs, avg. 67.28, SR 183.98.
• David Warner previously averaged 17.66 in nine T20Is vs England. However, his 58 off 47 balls in the opening T20I was further confirmation of why he is one of the all-time great T20 players.
• Dawid Malan was man of the match in the first T20I (66 off 43 balls). He now has an incredible eight 50+ scores in his 14 T20Is to date (avg. 51.58, SR 149.15).
• Jos Buttler’s 44 off 29 balls in the first T20I was a warning shot. Can he make another strong impact, this time with Bairstow, Morgan and Banton contributing?
• Steve Smith has taken his white-ball batting to another level in the past year, actually striking better than David Warner in this period – 148.89 (avg. 67).
• Australia needs greater consistency from Glenn Maxwell. He has 261 runs in 10 T20Is vs England, but that includes an unbeaten century (103*). So, can he improve on a record that sees him score 158 runs in the remaining nine matches?
• Jofra Archer played a key role in the last match. He has a strong record of 123 wickets in 96 T20 matches, after returning figures of 2/32 in the opening T20I.
• Ashton Agar has 10 wickets in four T20Is in 2020, including 2/32 in the opening match. He came back well after a Jos Buttler onslaught early. Adil Rashid also bowled beautifully for 2/29.
• Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will be key. Starc, who went wicketless in the first T20I, has taken 12 wickets in nine T20Is since October last year. Cummins has been strong, too, with the same number: 12 wickets in nine T20Is.
• Tom Curran and Chris Jordan produced nerves of steel at the death. Given their death bowling prowess, one can back either or both of them to take wickets at the death.
• Kane Richardson performed in the last match, taking 2/13 in three overs.

Stats and Facts

• Australia were 124/1 after 14.1 overs, chasing 163. They needed 39 off 35 balls with Smith and Warner at the crease, but failed to win.
• Dawid Malan’s average of 51.58 is the highest of any player with at least 500 runs in T20Is.
• David Warner and Aaron Finch have crossed 1,000 runs together as a pair in T20Is. They became the ninth pair to do so.
• Australia’s batting strike-rate for positions 5-7 is the lowest among the top ten T20I nations at 111.29, since January 2019.
• This will be the first England-Australia match live on BBC TV since the 1997 Oval Test.

Possible Playing 11

Will England look to change anything? Probably not, unless there is an injury or forced change.

England: 1. Jos Buttler (wk), 2. Jonny Bairstow, 3. Dawid Malan, 4. Tom Banton, 5. Eoin Morgan (c), 6. Moeen Ali, 7. Tom Curran, 8. Chris Jordan, 9. Adil Rashid, 10. Jofra Archer, 11. Mark Wood

Australia have questions to answer regarding their middle order. However, given that they picked a certain combination for the first game, they could look to give it another chance here.

Australia: 1. David Warner, 2. Aaron Finch (c), 3. Steve Smith, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Ashton Agar, 8. Pat Cummins, 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Kane Richardson, 11. Adam Zampa

Ageas Bowl Southampton Pitch and Weather Report

The second T20I will be played on the same pitch as the first. England captain Eoin Morgan said that Jos Buttler made batting look easier than it was, which suggests the track was a little slow. Given that the same pitch will be used, one can expect that the dry pitch will bring the spinners and cutters into the game even more.

The weather forecast looks promising for this match, with little-to-no rain expected.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fancy a bet on the cricket? today.

Match Prediction

Head or heart? My heart says Australia can bounce back, given the positive signs they showed in the opening T20I. However, it ultimately depends on how well they recover from such disappointment. One thing that is almost certain, though, and that is that we are in for another potential cracker.

Thanks for reading!

Also read: Do you write cricket blogs? Here are 6 tips to writing great cricket blogs!