England vs Australia LIVE: T20 World Cup score and updates from the MCG

Jump to contentSign up to our newslettersSubscribeNewsSportsVoicesCultureLifestyleTravelPremiumSportCricketMichael JonesFriday 28 October 2022 08:27CommentsClose”There’s no point hiding away” Buttler after shock World Cup defeat to IrelandToday’s match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground may decide how successful England’sT20 World Cup campaign ultimately is. After their shock defeat to Ireland on Wednesday – by five runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method – Jos Buttler’s side cannot afford to drop anymore points in the Super 12s. That means they will likely have to beat the three toughest opponents in Group 1: New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Australia to progress to the semi-finals.Today, England take on the old enemy in a game that is likely to knock one of these sides out of the tournament. It is too early to know for sure if that will be the case but there are only five matches to play in the Super 12 stage and two defeats here could turn out to be a knockout blow. Australia currently sit below England in the group having been battered by New Zealand – who won by 89 runs – in their first match of the competition before suffering a scare against Sri Lanka on Tuesday despite romping home with 21 balls to spare.That sets the stage nicely. Neither team is playing their best cricket but there are very few games as competitive in world cricket than England vs Australia. If England are to have any chance Buttler’s batters need to hit their stride and Ben Stokes has to turn around his shocking form. In four attempts they have never won a T20I at the MCG and there is no better time than now to do so.Follow the action as England take on Australia in this crucial T20 World Cup match:Play starts at 9am at the MCGBoth teams need to win to keep World Cup campaigns on trackEngland lost by five runs to Ireland last time outAustralia defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets1666941948It’s a huge day for England and Australia but only one team can take the two points of offer from today’s match. England have played four T20I games at the MCG and have never won here, including the game against Ireland on Wednesday, will they end that poor run this morning? Michael Jones28 October 2022 08:251666941708Defeat against the hosts and defending champions would almost certainly spell a group-stage elimination, although England go into the showdown having beaten their Ashes rivals in a T20 series this month.England were 2-0 winners and were on course for a series clean sweep only for rain to force a no-result in the final match – and showers have been forecast for Friday evening’s fixture between the teams.England face their Ashes rivals on Friday knowing defeat would almost certainly spell a group-stage elimination from the tournament Michael Jones28 October 2022 08:211666941468England may mull changes to a bowling attack that didn’t quite get it right in the first ten overs against Ireland. Chris Woakes was lacking in his usual accuracy and new ball nip and could therefore be vulnerable – David Willey would be the likeliest option as a new ball specialist to replace him, though Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills are also in the squad.Aaron Finch’s form will be a concern for Australia, though there is little to suggest that the captain will be excluded for this encounter. Several prominent voices, including Mark Waugh, have called for Pat Cummins to drop out of the side after back-to-back off nights in the defending champions’ opening two group fixtures. Adam Zampa should return in the place of Ashton Agar if he has overcome Covid.England XI: Jos Buttler (capt. & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.Australia XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (capt.), Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.Michael Jones28 October 2022 08:171666941212Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the T20 World Cup from Australia. England need to bounce back from a shock defeat to Ireland on Wednesday if they have any hopes of reaching the semi-final stage. They have two points from their first two Super 12 fixtures and will likely need to win their final three matches in order to get to the next round. Today’s opponents are the tournament hosts and England’s oldest enemy in World cricket. Australia are in a similar predicament to England having lost their opening game to New Zealand by 89 runs. They then went on to defeat Sri Lanka earlier this week to get back on track but now it seems as though the loser of today’s game will, eventually, get knocked out of the competition. This morning’s encounter is being played at the MCG but the weather may come into play. The early match between Ireland and Afghanistan has been abandoned without a ball being bowled but hopefully this crucial clash between England and Australia will get underway on time. Play is scheduled to start at 9am.Michael Jones28 October 2022 08:13Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inRegistration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inEnglandAustraliaJos ButtlerBen StokesT20 World CupPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in