Australia scored the fifth-highest team score in T20 World Cup history during their Group B clash against England at Kensington Oval on Saturday. Opening batsmen David Warner and Travis Head powered Australia to 74 runs in the PowerPlay, though both fell inside the first six overs.
Warner was particularly aggressive, smashing a 16-ball 39, which included three sixes and a four off Mark Wood in a blistering 22-run over. He was dismissed on the last ball of the fifth over, bowled by Moeen Ali. Head contributed 34 runs off 18 balls before being cleaned up by Jofra Archer in the following over.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to field first under uncertain weather conditions. The match is being played at the Kensington Oval, the venue for the oldest and fiercest rivalry in cricket history between England and Australia.
In T20 World Cup history, the highest PowerPlay score remains Netherlands' 91 for one against Ireland in Sylhet during the 2014 edition.
The top five PowerPlay scores in T20 World Cup history are:
| Team | Score | Wickets | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|
| Netherlands | 91/1 | 1 | Ireland | Sylhet | 2014 |
| England | 89/3 | 3 | South Africa | Wankhede | 2016 |
| South Africa | 83/0 | 0 | England | Wankhede | 2016 |
| India | 82/2 | 2 | Scotland | Dubai | 2021 |
| Australia | 74/2 | 2 | England | Barbados | 2024 |
The England versus Australia rivalry, usually associated with the longer format Ashes series, has also been intense in white-ball cricket, especially during ICC events. In T20 World Cup encounters, England holds a historical edge with two wins out of three matches against Australia, with one match abandoned due to rain in the 2022 edition.
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Buttler commented during the toss, "We are going to bowl first. A little bit unsure about the weather. Always a pleasure to play a WC game against Australia in Barbados. A couple of areas where we can work on, we have trained and prepared well, excited for the game. We have done well against them in recent games, but past form does not matter. We are unchanged, lots of options in the squad."
Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh, speaking at the toss, said, "We would have bowled first as well, it is dictated by the conditions and the weather. We have come here to win the tournament and today is a big match. Great feeling (on captaincy), I have a lot of experienced players around who are big match winners. It is going to be a good challenge and we are confident going into the game. One change, Pat Cummins replaces Nathan Ellis."
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Australia Playing XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (w), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
England Playing XI: Jos Buttler (w/c), Philip Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
