England can follow up Ashes victory with a dominant performance in the T20
Published:The blistering end to the final Ashes Test, although ultimately disappointing from an England perspective, was a fitting way to finish given the imminent T20 series.
Having defeated Australia 3-0 to retain the Ashes, England now have a chance to assert their supremacy over the Baggy Greens in this shorter form of the game and are priced at 4/5 to do so in the first match of the series.
While only three of the Ashes heroes will feature in the team – Stuart Broad, Joe Root and Steven Finn – their confidence will permeate the squad and plenty will have more than enough motivation going into the series, none more so than Michael Carberry.
The Hampshire opener won his sole Test cap for England in 2010 but has saw a remarkable return to form in this year’s FLt20 scoring 502 runs in the tournament – a tally only bettered by Craig Kieswetter. With only eight England T20 internationals until the ICC World T20 next year, Carberry will be keen to lay a claim for a place in the squad.
However, England will need to improve upon their recent results in T20 cricket if this series is to be as one sided as the Ashes.
Though the second match was a wash-out, England’s loss in the first handed their most recent series to New Zealand with a loss in the first match. Although Hamish Rutherford and Brendan McCullum put in an impressive display of batting, with the partnership scoring 114 off 67 balls, some of the deliveries were not up to scratch as England were forced to use seven bowlers as they searched for a wicket.
However, while there is certainly room for improvement in the England set up, Australia’s recent record in T20s also leaves a lot to be desired. The Aussies have not claimed a series in this format of the game since 2009/10 and are without a win in their last 13. They are evens to claim this first match.
It seems a prime opportunity, then, for England to rub salt in Australian cricket’s wounds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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