England vs Australia

End of the Powerplay heralds the off-spin of Glenn Maxwell to the two left-handers. Tight bowling and sharp fielding restrict England to six singles, all into ...

Hazlewood opens the bowling, pitches up and Buttler creams a cover drive on the up for four. Hazlewood pulls his length back to his optimum Test length for Hales and beats him with a beauty that climbs outside off and leaves Hales' bat as he pushed his hands through the line. After defending one, Buttler taps a drive off the outswinger for a single. Moeen waits for the slower ball and pats it round the corner for a single. Buttler takes on Hazlewood, lofting a drive over the bowler for four. Malan drills a cover drive for four and then works a single round the corner. Stokes taps a drive down the ground for a single. Malan takes three balls to get off the mark, stymied by the infield until given a slow ball in the slot that he chastises through the covers for four. Malan then lofts a drive over long off and David tips it over the bar for six. Two balls later he slog sweeps him over midwicket for six then drills the googly to cover for a single. Moeen brings up the half-century partnership off 32 balls by on-driving Hazlewood for a single. Starc pitches up in the slot, Moeen throws his hands through the line and smears it over point.

England will have wanted more than that, but from 54-4, 178-7 is a serious recovery. Dawid Malan batted beautifully and he'll be hard to shift from the ...

9th over: England 59-4 (Malan 27, Ali 2) Questions for England now: do they consolidate to make sure they post something, or do they plough on? He has to make do with a single from the final ball of the over, and won’t want to consume too many more balls with circumspection. 14th over: England 116-4 (Malan 53, Ali 30) Hazlewood returns and Moeen bumps to mid on to raise the fifty partnership, then Malan adds a two and a one to raise his own fifty, in his fiftieth international. and tips over the fence for six! 17th over: England 146 -4 (Malan 68, Ali 44) Zampa has two overs left and returns now to bowl one of them; after two dots, Moeen, loses patience, thrashing straight back at the bowler, who can’t hang on. then S-Cuzz shuffles across to off and plays a lovely pick-up that has just enough on it to elude Starc’s dive on the square leg fence! But he gets his feet all wrong and has to let the ball go for four when they end up stuck on the rope. Warner was seeking to turn into the on side but the extra pace got him in a tangle and he’s relieved to still be in the match. He can, leaping to get above the bounce and cut four through backward point! Finch will be furious with that, moving leg and looking to drive over the top. 5th over: Australia 35-2 (Marsh 13, Maxwell 1) Target 179 This is now a big chance for Maxwell, who begins with a Red-Bull single tapped to cover; he makes it, just. 7th over: Australia 45-2 (Marsh 16, Maxwell 7) Target 179 Two singles from Rashid’s first four balls – he’s settled quickly – and if Australia can’t get at him and Moeen, they’ll lose this match, I think, the rate already up at 10.25.

England claimed a narrow T20 victory in Perth last week, with Australia now out to level the three-match series in the nation's capital.

0 1 4 c Warner b Stoinis 4 c Zampa b Cummins 17 Malan is the new man at the crease and hits a four through covers. Ben Stokes is the new man, with England struggling to stem the wickets early in the contest. Stoinis to bowl the last. 19th over: Starc knocks the stumps over. A few edges from the Aussies. 3rd over: Noticing Finch is playing a lot on the back foot. Beautiful stroke over the offside followed by a scoop straight to Ben Stokes.

Visitors mirror Perth win in Canberra to go 2-0 up in three-match series.

The pressure was on Curran, who delivered in spades with the wickets of Maxwell and Stoinis mid-innings. Starc finally came into the attack in the sixth over and was promptly counterattacked by a free-wheeling Malan. But Maxwell once again failed to get going and was caught for just eight meaning he has made only 16 runs in his last six T20I innings. He made Australia pay with 44 off 27 balls to combine with Malan in a rapid 92-run partnership. But on a seaming Manuka Oval pitch under lights, against a full-strength Australia attack, Malan returned to his customary No. It meant the elegant left-handed batter shifted down to No.

Malan shared a crucial 92-run stand in Canberra with Moeen Ali (44) as England compiled 178-7 against a full-strength Australian attack.

“We were really poor in the field, sloppy, dropped a couple of chances, especially when we had them four down in the first 10 overs,” said Finch. Malan hit seven fours and four sixes in his 49-ball knock to rescue the visitors after they slumped to 54-4 in the ninth over. Sam Curran took 3-25 to ensure England won the three-match series 2-0 with a game left on Friday in a setback to the World Cup champions.