Who will win the first match of the series?

Home Side England (ENG) are set to lock horns against Ashes-Rivals Australia in the first T20i of the three-match T20 International series at Southampton’s Rose Bowl Stadium on Wednesday, 11th of September.

The Aussies are entering the series on the back of a comfortable 3-0 series whitewash over Scotland while England on the other hand won the three-match test series against Sri Lanka by a margin of 2-1 but their defeat in the third test match has significantly shifted away the momentum.

Before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Kangaroos had whitewashed New Zealand by a margin of 3-0 in the three-match T20 International series and they were expected to perform well in the T20 World Cup. However, they had a Forgettable T20 World Cup campaign as they got knocked out in the super eight stage after suffering a shocking defeat versus Afghanistan by 21 runs.

But things have improved since then and the 2021 T20 World Cup winners have returned to their winning groove.

England on the other hand have played many dull white-ball matches which have raised questions about their chances of winning the series against their rivals. The Three Lions played two T20 International series before the 2024 T20 World Cup and lost 3-1 versus the West Indies but they secured a 2-0 win against Pakistan.

In the T20 World, things didn’t go according to plan for the Three Lions and they crashed out of the tournament after losing to India in the semi finals. England haven’t played a T20i match since then and they will be looking to get back to winning ways in the shortest format of the game by winning against their fierce rivals.

England vs Australia 1st T20 International: Match Details

Tour: Australia’s tour of England

Match: England vs Australia, First T20I

Date and Time: 11 September, 2024, 23:00 PM

Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium, Southampton

England vs Australia 1st T20 International: Pitch Report of Southampton’s Rose Bowl Stadium

The pitch of Southampton’s Rose Bowl Stadium is known to favour batters and the average first-inning score at this ground is 172 runs. This does not mean the chasing team will not have any kind of advantages.

The pitch offers the same amount of support to the chasing side as well as the deck remains the same for the majority part of the match. The Aussies managed to score 248 runs at this very venue against England back in 2013 and that score still remains the highest one scored by any team at this ground.

In terms of bowling, the seamers will make the new ball talk with early-swing in the first six overs and as the game progresses, the spinners will have a big say as well. The weather is expected to be overcast with just a 13% chance of rain.

England vs Australia 1st T20i International: Head to Head records in T20I’s of both the teams

The two Ashes-Rivals have faced each other 24 times in the shortest format of the game and out of these 24 matches, the Aussies have reigned supreme on 11 occasions while England have won 11 times as well. Two encounters got washed-out due to constant rainfall.

England won: 11

Australia won: 11

No-Result: 2

Best players of the first T20 International between England and Australia (Predicted)

Best Batter (Predicted): Travis Head

gettyimages 1802411227 612x612 1 — Travis Head of Australia poses after being named Player of the Match following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 Final between India and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Australia’s star batter Travis Head is in outstanding form and he was at his best in the first T20I versus Scotland as the southpaw scored 80 runs off just 25 deliveries and helped his side get over the line comfortably. His inning consisted of 12 fours and five sixes and he remained not-out with a strike-rate of 320 next to his name.

Thus, the Kangaroos will be hoping that the 30 year old continues to remain in good Nick with the bat and help them win against England in the first T20 International.

Best Bowler (Predicted): Sean Abbott

gettyimages 1984515132 612x612 1 — Sean Abbott of Australia celebrates taking the wicket of Kjorn Ottley of the West Indies during game two of the Men’s One Day International series between Australia and West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground on February 04, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

32 year old right-arm fast bowler Sean Abbott is regarded as one of the most underrated bowlers in the Australian setup. He’s the highest wicket taker in the history of the Big Bash with 165 scalps next to his name and he’s a really skillful bowler.

But, he’s very unlucky that the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc are playing Cricket for the Aussies at the same-time as him or else he would have played many matches for his side.

Abbott was Australia’s joint-highest wicket taker against Scotland with six scalps and leg spinner Adam Zampa was the only bowler to bowl more overs in the three-match seriesthan his 10 overs.

The conditions of the Rose Bowl Stadium will suit Sean’s bowling and he will be the one to watch out for.