England cricket

Sam Curran continues, messing up the batsmen's rhythm with changes of pace and length.

Buttler chisels it out and the captain ends the first over with a fourth four, climbing into the width to smash four off extra-cover. Green racks up a couple of dot balls to start the over as Hales plays and misses but then hangs a short one outside off and Hales cuts it over point for four. With fine leg up he scoops for four so fine leg goes back and next ball Buttler scoops it over to him for six. Consequently Buttler is through it to soon and it spoons off the face to the keeper's right. Wade took the ball in front of the stumps and then tried to roll it at the timbers with a back-hand, no look shy. Warner pulls for a single and Green plays tip and run to square leg to filch the strike. Hales hopes about his crease, jumping to leg and back, and then lofts a drive for four over mid-off. The Yorkshireman loses his footing when tucking a single off his hip, and also drops his bat. Topley takes the pace off after a leg-bye is scrambled into the offside and Warner cuffs it for a single. Topley changes ends and beats Marsh outside off but when he drops short Marsh smacks it off the back foot over cover with a cross-bat thwack. Warner jabs out the yorker for a single off the first ball. Stoinis slashes four over third man when the left-armer slants one across him then flaps one off his ribs for a single.

Alex Hales and fit-again captain Jos Buttler fired with the bat before Mark Wood and Sam Curran excelled with the ball as England edged T20 World Cup ...

The series continues in Canberra on Wednesday (9.10am UK time). We knew Australia would come really hard, they've got such a powerful batting line-up, so we are really pleased with the way we bowled. This was a great game of cricket and I expect two more. "[The death overs] are moments you want to be involved in. "Anytime you play Australia they're challenging games. We can take some really good confidence from that. Harry Brook (10 off 12), Moeen Ali (10 off 7) and Sam Curran (2 off 5) all came and went before Chris Woakes (13no off 5) took England over 200 in a T20I in Australia for the first time with a final-over four off Richardson. Hales (84 off 51 balls) struck 12 fours and three sixes after being preferred to Phil Salt as Buttler's opening partner, while the skipper (68 off 32) managed eight fours and four sixes - four boundaries of which came in the opening over of the game - in his first outing since August as the pair shared an opening stand of 132 from 68 balls in a total of 208-6. Curran (2-35) then conceded only seven runs and took two wickets, including Wade, in a final over which had begun with Australia requiring 16 as the hosts were limited to 200-9 and England moved 1-0 up ahead of Wednesday's second match in Canberra (9.10am UK time). Australia looked on course to top that as David Warner (73 off 44 balls) shared quickfire half-century stands with Mitchell Marsh (36 off 26) and Marcus Stoinis (35 off 15) to reduce the requirement to 51 from 35 balls with seven wickets in hand at Optus Stadium. England post 208-6 in Perth as Alex Hales (84 off 51) and returning skipper Jos Buttler (68 off 32) share opening stand of 132; Australia limited to 200-9 as Mark Wood and Sam Curran star with the ball; England move 1-0 up in three-match series, which continues in Canberra on Wednesday Alex Hales and fit-again captain Jos Buttler fired with the bat before Mark Wood and Sam Curran excelled with the ball as England edged T20 World Cup favourites Australia by eight runs in a thrilling, high-scoring first game of their three-match T20 series in Perth.

Openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler blasted half-centuries to lead England to an eight-run win over Australia on Sunday in the first of three warm-up games ...

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Australia fall just shy of a mammoth chase in Perth after David Warner and Marcus Stoinis appeared on-track for victory.

He finished with 3-20, an economy rate nearly half the next lowest among the Australian bowlers. Mitchell Swepson, playing in place of Adam Zampa for his first T20I in over a year, copped the worst of the punishment with 31 coming off his two overs after Buttler belted sixes off the leg-spinner's first two balls. Curran might have felt he had blown the visitors' hopes of victory when he showed a lack of composure on an opportunity to run out Daniel Sams, but delivered a solid final over and showed strong resolve after Matthew Wade hit the first ball for four. But Wood got his revenge, ending a sterling Stoinis cameo by dismissing him and Tim David in the same over, and then getting the prized scalp of Warner with the final ball of his spell. Cameron Green, included in the team instead of Steve Smith and opening the batting instead of Aaron Finch despite not being in the World Cup squad, was out for single digits for a second consecutive game. David Warner (73 off 44 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (35 off 15) had kept the hosts in the hunt but Mark Wood (3-34 from four overs) sparked a late collapse.