Brad Hodge joins Raunak Kapoor to pick a fantasy team for the first England-Australia T20I (6:42)
England v Australia, 1st T20I, Southampton
Our XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan (capt), Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Glenn Maxwell, Moeen Ali/ Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Adil Rashid, Mitchell Starc, Jofra Archer
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so do keep an eye out for the toss before making your final picks.
Captain: Eoin Morgan
The England captain is in good form with the bat, hitting a match-winning 33-ball 66 in the second T20I against Pakistan. He has looked his free-flowing best since last year, scoring five half-centuries in his last 12 games. His form makes him a great choice.
Vice-captain: David Warner
Warner has been in tremendous form in T20Is since his return from the ban last year. In nine matches he has made 415 runs at an average of 138.33, striking at 142.12. He’ll be raring to go after the long break, so pick him as your vice-captain for those extra points
Hot Picks
Moeen Ali/ Ashton Agar: Ali sizzled with the bat in the final T20I against Pakistan in Manchester, hitting four sixes and as many fours in his 33-ball 61. Pick him keeping his recent form in mind or opt for Australia allrounder Ashton Agar. Agar can also help with those valuable cameos with the bat. He’s picked up 15 wickets in this last nine T20Is, including 5 for 24 against South Africa in which he claimed a hat-trick.
Glenn Maxwell: Maxwell will be returning to international cricket after a gap of nine months. Expect fireworks from the big hitter who can be unstoppable on his day. His overall strike rate of 160 is the best for any batsman with at least 1000 T20I runs.
Steven Smith: Smith has scored his runs at a better rate than Warner – 147.92 – ever since his return from the ban. He put on a T20 masterclass against Pakistan in Canberra last year, scoring a 51-ball 80 while chasing 150. In the Cape Town T20I against South Africa earlier this year he scored 30 off 15 balls from No. 5.
Value Picks
Adil Rashid: The legspinner has been an automatic choice for England in recent times in the format. He rarely goes wicketless and he can help with those crucial breakthroughs too.
Pat Cummins: Since 2019, Cummins has appeared in 10 T20Is and has picked 13 wickets. The fast bowler will be looking to showcase his best ahead of the IPL where he was the biggest buy in the last auction.
Point to note
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Tom Banton is in form, scoring 137 runs in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. The opener seized his chance and displayed his big hits even in pressure situations. If you’re willing to take risk, replace Aaron Finch with Banton at the top of the order in your XI.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo