In the opening Twenty20 International at the Rose Bowl, Australia defeated England by 28 runs, spearheaded by Travis Head's scorching 23-ball 59. With all 20 wickets falling in two innings, it was a day when bowlers had many opportunities to recover wickets, but Sean Abbott's spell of 3 for 28 stood out.

AUSTRALIA

The 'power' play of Head and Short

Powerplay: 6 overs, 86/1

After Australia was put to bat, the Powerplay was the most fruitful time for the batters. Following a very cautious beginning, giving up 11 runs in the first nine deliveries, Matthew Short unleashed himself, hitting Reece Topley for back-to-back sixes. 

During that time, the fifth over proved to be the most fruitful. Head, who had started the over with three runs in six balls, looked to Sam Curran and hit three sixes and as many fours in a 30-run over, helping Australia reach 86 in the Powerplay. Nevertheless, the southpaw finally lost balance on the phase's final delivery.

Captured in the moment

Nine overs, middle overs: 69/4

After Head's departure, the English bowlers ensured Australia couldn't return to attacking as soon as they liked. Soon after the field limits were lifted, Short, who had also gotten off to a fast start, left, becoming the first of Liam Livingstone's three victims. In the thirteenth over, the all-round player removed Tim David and Marcus Stoinis with consecutive deliveries.

The English retaliation

Death overs: 4.3 overs with 24/5

The Australian bottom order failed to produce significant contributions as Jofra Archer, Curran, and Saqib Mahmood continued to chip away at wickets in the last overs, thwarting their attempts to knock their way out of difficulties. After their innings lasted only three balls, the visitors were hustled out.

ENGLAND

similar intentions but distinct outcomes

Powerplay: 6 overs, 46/3

Like Australia, England tried to go on the attack, but they weren't successful. It was still mainly an Australian bowlers' time, except in the fourth over when Phil Salt and Jordan Cox combined to knock four boundaries off Josh Hazlewood. They nearly had Cox out of the game after removing Will Jacks in the second over, but Barlett missed a comeback chance. However, his stint was short-lived, as he and Salt were fired during the Powerplay.

Livingstone restores England once more.

Nine overs, 80/4 in the middle overs

Like their bowling performance, England's middle-overs batting display also improved. Again, Livingstone's efforts, who hammered a 27-ball 37, were primarily to blame.

He provided a fleeting glimpse of promise for a chase that had never taken off when he joined Sam Curran. They were scoring at a rate of almost nine runs per over throughout the middle overs, but four more wickets severely hurt their chances. For more updates, see the Bet Pro login.

Australia tidies up the tail.

Death overs: 4.2 overs, 25/3

The English lower classes did not put up much of a fight. The bottom order attempted to swing their way out of trouble, but with limited success, Australia made sure there were no last-minute twists, as the needed rate increased and there were hardly any wickets left to play with.

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Brief Scores: Australia defeated England 151 in 19.2 overs (Liam Livingstone 37; Sean Abbott 3-28, Adam Zampa 2-20) by 28 runs with 179 in 19.3 overs (Travis Head 59, Matthew Short 41; Liam Livingstone 3-22, Saqib Mahmood 2-21).