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Australia and England locked horns in the first T20I of the three-match series on Sunday at the Perth Stadium. Both teams put on a batting masterclass as 408 runs were scored in 40 overs. Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, and David Warner hit half-centuries while a few others scored in the 30s. Eventually, after 40 overs of the grueling battle, Jos Buttler-led England took the win home.
Australia fell short of the target by nine runs as they were restricted to 200/9 in their 20 overs. Kane Richardson and Mitchell Swepson were the last standing men for Australia. Earlier, after Warner’s dismissal, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, and Matthew Wade kept the hosts alive in the contest with a few boundaries here and there. In the process, wicketkeeper batter Wade created a hilarious but controversial scene in the middle.
In the 17th over of Australia’s inning, Wade top-edged a pull that lobbed up straight in the air and could have easily fallen on his stumps. Nevertheless, Wade got lucky there but there was still a catch up for grabs and both Jos Buttler and Mark Wood fancied their chances. While Buttler could not reach the ball, Wood was blocked by Wade.
As the bowler ran towards the ball for the catch, the batter stretched his left arm in front of Wood blocking his way. England even complained about it to the on-field umpires who had a chat and decided against the chances of Wade obstructing the field.
Watch the video here:
Nevertheless, it was a win for England as Sam Curran successfully defended 16 runs off the last over. The left-arm pacer took two wickets in the last over to seal the deal for England. While Curran first dismissed Wade as he got him caught at deep mid-wicket at the hands of Ben Stokes, he cleaned up Nathan Ellis for his second wicket of the over.
