Dawid Malan's magnificent 134 off only 128 deliveries went in vain as all-round Australia produced a stellar performance to clinch the opening game against England by six wickets in the first match of the three-match ODI series here at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
The wicketkeeper-batsman backed his team to win the semi-final against India on November 10 to deny cricket fans a high-voltage recap of the 2007 T20 World Cup final at the biggest stage of cricket.
Alex Hales gave a perfect start and Ben Stokes played a top knock in the end to help England survive the Sri Lanka scare in the death overs and win the match by four wickets to reach the semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022
England was in a better position at 125/2 in 15 overs, but the Kiwis made a strong comeback in the final five, taking four wickets and giving away 54 runs. Buttler (73) and Hales (52) shared an 81-run stand for the first wicket. Lockie Ferguson was pick of the bowlers for NZ with 2/45
Rain played spoilsport in England's already shaky chase, helping Ireland defeat the former champions by five runs as per Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the Group 1, Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday.
Pacer Sam Curran came in clutch to power England to a thrilling eight-run win over Australia in the second T20I at Canberra on Wednesday, helping their side clinch a series win against arch-rivals in their own territory