Aussie T20 car crash as SEVEN fail — and only two score above six: Player ratings

Australia has been dealt a brutal T20 World Cup wake-up call as tournament favourite England proved the gulf in class between the two sides on Sunday morning (AEDT).

England sealed a crushing eight-wicket win, with very few Aussies impressing on the night.

AARON FINCH — 7

44 off 49

Finch nearly batted out the entire innings in a 49-ball stay that was important given Australia’s struggles, but the captain failed to kick into a high gear. Only four of those 49 balls were sent to the boundary. Late explosive knocks from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins showed it was possible late in the innings.

Nonetheless, given Finch was comfortably Australia’s highest scorer, it would be harsh to say he should have done too much more.

DAVID WARNER — 2

1 off 2

He could say he got a good one early, and that’d probably be accurate. Chris Woakes was certainly on the money hitting a good length with a scrambled seam. Warner failed to play it with any conviction in a brief stay — and it only got worse for Australia from there.

STEVE SMITH — 2.5

1 off 5

Steve Smith didn’t fare much better, or stay much longer, than Warner on his promotion to No.3. To be fair to Smith, the ball seamed a mile and the catch from Woakes to complete the wicket was a one-handed stunner. Even so, it was an ugly dismissal from the right-hander who couldn’t hit one out the middle.

GLENN MAXWELL — 3

6 off 9

Shane Warne said after the innings that Maxwell shouldn’t have been sent in during the Powerplay. The outcome suggests he’s right. Woakes was still finding a surprising amount of movement early and arguably Australia’s biggest weapon was sent in to cop the brunt of it instead of being held back for when he could do the most damage. That’s not to say that Maxwell shouldn’t have done better. He clearly found Woakes hard to play and his run of low scores continues.

MARCUS STOINIS — 1.5

0 off 4

A forgettable night for Stoinis who failed to pick an Adil Rashid googly that ripped about as much as a stock ball. Credit must be given to the delivery, but Stoinis can’t escape a poor grade here for failing to get off the mark.

MATTHEW WADE — 5

18 off 18

Australia was 4-21 when Wade arrived at the crease, so you can certainly forgive him for being a little cautious. Scoring at a run-a-ball was about the best Australia could ask for at that point and Wade delivered that. Like Finch, however, Wade failed to kick when Australia’s total was clearly tracking par and acceleration was needed.

ASHTON AGAR — 6.5

20 off 20

1-15, economy 5.62

It was never part of the plan for such a big job to be required from Agar with the bat on his re-call to the XI. But having made just six runs from his first 14 balls, Agar looked like he could be about to deliver something special as he smoked Woakes for consecutive boundaries in the 17th over. It ultimately proved to be a false dawn and Australia was left wanting. Agar took one of just two wickets for Australia on the night and was far less expensive than the rest of its bowlers.

PAT CUMMINS — 3.5

0-14, economy 14.00

The highlight of the night for Cummins was smoking back-to-back sixes off Tymal Mills in the 18th over to help the tail wag. Australia’s total was still hopelessly below par, but it could have been far worse if not for his 12 runs off 3 balls. He bowled just the one over which included a wide and a no ball, and leaked 14 runs at a time Australia needed early wickets.

MITCHELL STARC — 4

0-37, economy 12.33

Like Cummins, there were some sorely needed tailend runs produced from Starc (13 off 6) which has helped his score. Also like Cummins, there wasn’t much joy with the ball on the night when Australia’s only chance of a fightback was a few early wickets. Having conceded just five off his opening over, his next two went for 18 and 14 respectively and included five boundaries as Jos Buttler took a liking to the left-armer.

ADAM ZAMPA — 5

1-37, economy 12.33

To be fair to Zampa, there was little he could do by the time he was tossed the ball for the seventh over. England was already 0-66. It took him just two balls to take a wicket, trapping a reverse-sweeping Jason Roy in front. The only problem was that brought Jonny Bairstow to the crease and the Englishman went after him, blowing out Zampa’s figures with some breathtaking hitting. He still sneaks a pass grade for at least making some sort of impact with the ball.

JOSH HAZLEWOOD — 4.5

0-18, economy rate 9.00

Responded well after being hit for four on the very first ball he bowled. Nonetheless, wickets were key and Hazlewood couldn’t make an impact early on this occasion. Overall it was a quiet night for the quick who bowled just two overs and didn’t face a ball.

Source: foxsports.com

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Foxsports.com.au