England v Australia, 2nd T20I, Southampton
Our XI: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Dawid Malan, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan, Kane Richardson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Substitutes: Tom Banton, Moeen Ali, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc
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: David Warner
One hundred, five fifties, and 473 runs at an average of 118.25. The strike rate touching 140. Those are Warner’s numbers in his last ten T20Is. Whatever criteria you use, it’s hard to look beyond Warner as your captain. He scored 58 in the first T20I and until the time he was at the crease, Australia were cruising.
Vice-captain: Dawid Malan
A cursory glance at Malan’s numbers will make your jaw drop. Among those who have scored at least 500 T20I runs, no one averages more than Malan. Not Virat Kohli or Babar Azam. Malan might be a slow starter but his career strike rate is almost 150, and he already has eight 50-plus scores in 14 games. His control percentage when smashing 66 off 43 balls in the first T20I: a staggering 93.
Hot Picks
Jos Buttler: Another player you cannot afford to ignore. After converting his doubters into believers by the end of the Test series against Pakistan, Buttler struck a stroke-filled 29-ball 44 in the first T20I against Australia. In Southampton, where the T20I series is being played, Buttler has 144 runs from three innings at a strike rate of 151.
Aaron Finch: One of the most underrated T20I batsmen, Finch is the only player to have two scores in excess of 150 in the format, including 156 against England at this very venue. Finch kicked off the series with 46 off 32 balls. Stick with him for big fantasy points.
Value picks
Eoin Morgan: If you are done drooling over the top orders of the two sides, here’s Morgan saying ‘hello’. The man holding England’s middle order together with an exuberant Tom Banton at one side and a mercurial Moeen Ali at the other. In Morgan’s own words, “experience and confidence” has helped him put his “best numbers to date” in the last two years in international cricket. Make sure you don’t miss out on that.
Glenn Maxwell: He might have copped some flak for getting out on the last ball of Adil Rashid’s spell but Maxwell can win you a bucketload of points on his day. And don’t forget his handy offspin; he picked up 2 for 14 from his three overs in the first game.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo