The left-arm seamer took 17 wickets in last season’s competition and has full availability

Andrew McGlashan23-Aug-2024Allrounder Paul Walter, who was a key figure in Brisbane Heat’s BBL title success last season, could be in line for a return to the competition after he was confirmed among the latest batch of nominations for next month’s draft.Walter, a left-arm seamer and hard-hitting batter, became a cult hero for Heat as he claimed 17 wickets, celebrating with a trademark aeroplane each time, and was named in the team of the tournament voted for by the eight head coaches.Related

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Heat have retention rights for Walter should they want to bring him back and another team tries to select him. A key factor is he has full availability including the finals and he would again seem a good fit for them after supplementing their varied attack which includes Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson plus spin twins Matt Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson.”I think we’ve got the best bowling unit in the competition,” he told ESPNcricinfo during last season’s campaign. “I feel like I complement the rest of the attack quite well and we’ve been good at managing games. Kuhny and Sweppo have bowled so well through the middle that teams have come hard at me, which is probably what you want with my style of bowling.”I’ve worked a lot on my defensive bowling, trying to figure out how to get batters off strike and trying to keep the ball away from the shorter pockets. I normally bowl the overs where the right-handers are hitting to the short leg side, so I’ve had to get quite clever with getting them to hit to the other side of the ground. I do a lot of work off the field figuring out what I’m going to do in different situations.”English cricketers dominated the list of names released on Friday although most only have availability for between six and nine games. England have a Test series in New Zealand that finishes three days after the BBL begins and then have a limited-overs tour of India starting on January 22 next year. A significant number of players also have ILT20 or SA20 deals.However, some will likely attract interest including Olly Stone, Dan Lawrence, Jordan Cox and Joe Clarke. Legspinner Rehan Ahmed, who was initially drafted by Sydney Sixers last season before withdrawing when he was selected to tour West Indies, has again nominated.Pakistan allrounder Imad Wasim, who Melbourne Stars have retention rights for, has full availability as does slingy fast bowler Zaman Khan who played for Sydney Thunder last season.England players are also strongly represented in the latest WBBL nominations. Dani Gibson, who played a defining role in the Hundred final last week and earned praise from captain Heather Knight, impressed for champions Adelaide Strikers last season striking at 147.43 in the middle order and claiming ten wickets. She is currently down as having full availability although England have a T20I series against South Africa which overlaps with the WBBL finals.”We saw the game she played at Lord’s, a reverse-sweep to go and win the game against Australia last year, and that’s the sort of mindset that we want in that England side: the willingness to take risks, take the game on and express what your talent, and Dani epitomises that,” Knight said.South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, who was announced among the initial batch of nominations and has been a regular for Strikers, now has availability of six to nine games rather than the entire tournament.Strikers in the WBBL are the only club yet to name a pre-draft signing although they are expected to fill that spot next week. Each club across BBL and WBBL can sign one player ahead of the draft. In the draft, a club can use their retention option once and only if they have not already selected the player in the relevant round.Current BBL nominations by retention clubsAdelaide Strikers: Adam Hose, Jamie Overton, David Payne
Brisbane Heat: Paul Walter, Tom Banton
Hobart Hurricanes: Corey Anderson, Sam Hain
Melbourne Renegades: Joe Clarke, Jordan Cox, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Melbourne Stars: Dan Lawrence, Imad Wasim, Liam Dawson, Olly Stone, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf
Perth Scorchers: Zak Crawley, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills
Sydney Sixers: Izharulhuq Naveed, Rehan Ahmed, James Vince
Sydney Thunder: Alex Hales, Zaman Khan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Nominations with no retention club: Jason Roy, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Shamar JosephCurrent WBBL nominations by retention clubsAdelaide Strikers: Dani Gibson, Georgia Adams, Laura Wolvaardt
Brisbane Heat: Bess Heath
Hobart Hurricanes: Shabnim Ismail, Bryony Smith
Melbourne Renegades: Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur
Melbourne Stars: Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley
Perth Scorchers: Amy Jones, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
Sydney Sixers: Suzie Bates, Sophie Ecclestone, Jess Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Linsey Smith
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight
Nominations with no retention club: Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues

Tottenham Hotspur now face stiff competition from a rival Premier League side in the race for a “playmaker”, according to a report, with Thomas Frank looking to reinforce his squad in a few key areas ahead of his first full season in charge.

Tottenham may hijack Nottingham Forest bid for "unbelievable" £50m forward

Spurs are in the race for a major Nottingham Forest target…

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Spurs have made a splash in the summer market already with their £55 million deal for winger Mohammed Kudus, which ended a 14-year unofficial transfer embargo between West Ham and their London rivals.

Kudus has been pictured in Lilywhites training as the club prepare for their first pre-season game of the summer against Reading this weekend, with the Ghanaian joining Mathys Tel and Kota Takai as Daniel Levy’s first three official signings of the summer.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

In an ideal world, Kudus would’ve been joined at Hotspur Way by Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, who was expected to undergo a medical last Friday before a £60 million switch from the City Ground.

However, in a very unexpected turn of events, the Englishman’s transfer is being significantly delayed, with Forest taking legal action over what they believe was an illegal approach from Tottenham for their star attacker, as first reported by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

That being said, some confidence remains that Gibbs-White will eventually seal a move to Spurs (Alasdair Gold), so their potential £115 million double-swoop for the 25-year-old and Kudus is still alive.

Forest are complaining to the Premier League, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side raising concerns over how Spurs became aware of ‘confidential details’ in his contract (Standard Sport).

Interestingly, Forest are “adamant” that Gibbs-White is not for sale (Sky Sports), but Spurs are still hopeful of doing the deal.

As Spurs wait for the green-light to sign-off on Gibbs-White’s transfer, they do have their eyes on other transfer targets, with Levy reportedly after a holding midfielder and a number six as well (TBR Football).

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported last week that Tottenham have held talks with £138,000-per-week Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz’s representatives, and the Old Lady will allow him to leave Turin this summer after a lacklustre debut campaign in Serie A.

Everton threaten to hijack alleged Tottenham talks with Douglas Luiz

Now, according to Calciomercato, Spurs may not have a free run at signing the Brazilian, with Everton threatening a move of their own.

The Italian news outlet states that Everton are ready to bid for Luiz after his alleged talks with Tottenham, and the Toffees have initiated club-to-club discussions as they attempt to back manager David Moyes for his first full season back on Merseyside.

Juve want around £35 million to part company with Luiz, and will not entertain any form of loan, as Igor Tudor’s side seek to sell him immediately and reinvest that money in their own summer recruitment drive.

Aston Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, tipped him to kickstart his career at Juve earlier this year, but it appears the South American could seal a quick-fire return to England instead.

“He’s playing less than we all expected, but we’re talking about a strong player,” said Monchi about Luiz to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“There are guys who arrive and impose themselves, others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion. He will become important for Juve.

“He’s a playmaker and every ball that comes out of his feet has a meaning: last year he played 90% of the games with us. He was decisive.”

Northamptonshire have confirmed the return of Australia spinner Ashton Agar for their vitality Blast quarter-final against Somerset.Agar was signed as a replacement for Sikandar Raza during the group stage, joining after the T20 World Cup and helping Northants to four wins out of five as they qualified from the North Group in second spot.The club are also working to try and bring back Matthew Breetzke, the South Africa opener who is currently Northants’ leading run-scorer in this year’s Blast, with 460 at a strike rate of 153.84 – although head coach, John Sadler, said the decision was in the hands of Cricket South Africa.Breetzke was recently involved on South Africa’s Test tour of West Indies but is not part of the squad currently playing a three-match T20I series.”We’re hopeful that Matt will be able to get over but we’re not sure how that’s going to pan out,” Sadler said. “We obviously want to get him back because he’s been brilliant for us but we’ll see how it unfolds.”It’s a situation that is out of our and Matt’s hands to be honest. I know he’s desperate to come back but he’s on the verge of playing for South Africa in all three formats so that’s understandably his main driver.”I also know that he so wants to come back and play for us that he’s happy to fly in, play and fly back out but that is a situation that we’ll have to negotiate with Cricket South Africa.”Agar, who opted to go freelance earlier this year, will be available after completing a stint at the Global T20 Canada, and strengthens Northants’ options ahead of a soldout game at Wantage Road against the defending champions on September 5.”Ashton is in, he’s booked to come back and he’s incredibly excited,” Sadler said. “He has been over at a tournament in Canada so he’s off back home to spend some time with his family but then he’ll be back with us so we’re absolutely delighted with that.”

West Ham United have now agreed a deal to sign a “powerful” player for a fee of £19m plus add-ons, who is set to become their first new summer signing, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Hammers in need of major summer rebuild

West Ham fell below their usual standards in the 2024-25 campaign, finishing in 14th place, while the recent departure of Mohammed Kudus only exacerbates the need for Graham Potter to make a number of additions to his squad this summer.

There have been suggestions that Kudus’ departure, which raised £55m, could help fund the rebuild, with Potter in need of younger players, having fielded the oldest average starting XI in the Premier League last season.

However, like many clubs, it has become difficult for the Irons to abide by PSR rules, especially now they are having to go without European football, which could make it difficult to bring in a new striker, goalkeeper, central midfielder and left-back.

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That said, it appears as though they are now very close to strengthening one of those positions, with Romano recently taking to X to reveal that a deal has been agreed to sign Slavia Prague left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The Hammers have recently submitted an improved offer of €22m (£19m) plus add-ons, which has been accepted by the Czech club, and Diouf has been given permission to travel to London for his medical.

The defender has been a key target for quite some time, as revealed by ExWHUEmployee, who said: “We have been targeting the player for a while as we exclusively revealed and he ticks a number of boxes. He has a physical presence, he has pace, he is only 20 years of age and his career can only progress further from this point. This is the sort of value for money that West Ham have been looking for.”

"Powerful" Diouf could be solid signing for the Hammers

Not only does ExWHUEmployee believe the youngster can kick on at the London Stadium, but he has also received high praise from U23 scout Antonio Mango, who once described the full-back as a “powerful dribbler”.

West Ham certainly need to bring in a left-back this summer, given Aaron Cresswell’s departure, and the starlet already has a great deal of experience at first-team level, having made 50 senior appearances for Slavia Prague.

The Senegalese defender is particularly impressive from an attacking point of view, having collected nine goals and four assists during that time, courtesy of often playing in a slightly more advanced role.

Diouf could be a solid signing for the Hammers, and barring any late hiccups, it appears as though he is set to become their first signing of the summer.

Derby County face Blackburn Rovers in the race to sign a versatile midfielder with the same agent as Craig Forsyth, according to a new report.

Forsyth signs new Derby contract as Eustace targets attackers

Earlier this week, Derby announced that experienced defender Forsyth has signed a new two-year contract to remain with the Rams. The left-back’s contract was set to expire at the end of this month, but John Eustace, who was a teammate of Forsyth’s during his playing career, has decided to keep the 36-year-old at the club until 2027.

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Forsyth played 39 times for the Rams in the Championship last season, as they avoided relegation to League One. In those appearances, the defender managed to score an impressive three goals and grab four assists. This latest contract will see Forsyth extend his football career to 20 years, and this contract will also see Derby support him in getting his coaching qualifications.

As Eustace decides to keep valuable experience in his defence, in a fan forum held at Pride Park, the Derby boss has revealed that signing new attackers is a priority for the club this summer, given their lack of goals last season.

Eustace said, via BBC Sport: “I’d love to play a back four, some exciting attacking wingers and two good strikers.”

This comes as the Rams have agreed a deal with Luton Town to sign striker Carlton Morris, who is set to undergo his medical once he returns from holiday.

Derby face Blackburn in race to sign Russell

The arrivals at Pride Park don’t look to be stopping there, as according to Football League World, Derby are keen on signing midfielder Jon Russell from League One side Barnsley.

It isn’t just the Rams looking at the 24-year-old however; Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United and Stoke City are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation ahead of a potential move.

Russell, who is a former Chelsea academy graduate, has been with the Tykes since January 2023, when he joined from Huddersfield Town.

The Jamaica international has been a key contributor for Barnsley in his two full seasons at the club – he played 31 times during the 2023/24 League One season, as Barnsley reached the play-offs. He then bettered that last term, as he played 40 times in the league, scoring an impressive 11 goals, as well as grabbing two assists.

This report doesn’t claim how much the League One side would want for Russell, but given his contract expires next summer, Barnsley may have to consider cashing in on the midfielder now, before he leaves for nothing.

In further good news for Derby, they may hold an advantage in this race, as Russell, who can play in a defensive role as well as an advanced role in midfield, has the same representatives, Two Touch Agency, as Derby defender Forsyth, who they have of course recently concluded positive talks with.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now submitted a £25m offer for an “extremely dangerous” forward, who has impressed at the Club World Cup, according to a report.

Wolves looking to sign new forward after Cunha departure

With Matheus Cunha joining Manchester United for a fee widely reported to be £62.5m, Wolves should be able to splash the cash on a replacement this summer, although it will be difficult to find a forward capable of recording similar attacking numbers.

The Brazilian enjoyed two very impressive full seasons at Molineux, regularly providing goals and assists to help propel his side to safety, which was by no means a guarantee for large parts of the 2024-25 campaign.

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2023-24

32

12

7

2024-25

33

15

6

However, there were some concerns over the 26-year-old’s discipline, with former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison singling him out for criticism back in April, saying: “I think he’s got the quality, I’ve spoken about this. I think his discipline is because he’s not playing with the quality of players and he’s frustrated that the calibre that he thinks he is [isn’t there]. It is a lack of professionalism, don’t get me wrong.”

As such, Cunha’s departure could arguably be a blessing in disguise, and Wolves have wasted little time finding a potential replacement, with a report from Spain revealing they have now submitted a €30m (£26m) offer for Fluminense’s Jhon Arias.

Arias’ impressive performances at the Club World Cup caught the Old Gold’s attention, with his side reaching the semi-final before being knocked out by Chelsea, and talks are already underway over a potential move to Molineux.

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There is seemingly a good chance the Wanderers could win the race for the Colombian’s signature too, as he has expressed a desire to play in Europe, despite interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League.

"Extremely dangerous" Arias could be coup for Wolves

Fluminense have little interest in sanctioning a departure, which could pose a problem for Wolves, but should they be able to tempt the Brazilian club into a sale, there are plenty of signs he could be a solid addition to Pereira’s squad.

The 27-year-old is versatile, able to play on both wings and through the middle, and he has been a regular source of goals and assists for Fluminense this season, amassing 17 goal contributions in 34 appearances in all competitions.

Brazil legend Kaka has also been left impressed by the forward, recently saying: “He has been outstanding in the league for some time.

“He’s an extremely dangerous player who can decide a match at any moment. He has stood out in every competition he’s played in, made history with Fluminense with their Libertadores win, and now he’s looking for a major victory at the Club World Cup.”

Consequently, it is exciting news that Wolves have submitted an offer, with Vitor Pereira in need of a player capable of recording similar numbers to Cunha next season.

تمكن نجم فريق ريال مدريد، كيليان مبابي، من تسجيل الهدف الثاني في شباك نظيره فريق مارسيليا في مباراتهما مساء يوم الثلاثاء في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة فريقي ريال مدريد ومارسيليا، في الجولة الأولى من مرحلة الدوري من البطولة، 2025/26.

ونجح ريال مدريد في تسجيل الهدف الثاني في شباك مارسيليا، في الدقيقة 81 من عمر المباراة.

جاء الهدف عن طريق كيليان مبابي من ضربة جزاء، تحصل عليها ريال مدريد بعد لمسة يد ضد لاعب مارسيليا عقب اصطدام كرة فينيسيوس جونيور به، وسط احتجاج من لاعبي الفريق الفرنسي.

ونفذ كيليان مبابي ضربة جزاء ريال مدريد بنجاح، ليحولها إلى هدف ثاني له ولكتيبة تشابي ألونسو، حيث سجل الأول من ضربة جزاء كذلك في الشوط الأول.

GOAL!@KMbappe just about squeezes the ball past Rulli for his 50th Real Madrid goal!

The 10 men lead with stoppage time fast approaching ⏱️#beINUCL #RealMadridMarseille #UCL pic.twitter.com/k6eQGzx2fc — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 16, 2025

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى تقدم ريال مدريد بهدفين لهدف، مع العلم أن الملكي يعاني من النقص العددي منذ الدقيقة 72 لطرد داني كارفاخال.

So far, it’s not really been the summer Tottenham Hotspur fans would have been after.

Thomas Frank might be an exciting appointment, but in terms of signings, Japanese defender Kota Takai, who cost around £5m, has been the only new face to join the club thus far.

Worse yet, they’ve had to watch their rivals make signing after signing, with Arsenal looking likely to land Swedish goal machine Viktor Gyokeres, while continuing to be linked with Real Madrid star Rodrygo.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the Lilywhites do appear to be making progress in their pursuit of Mohammed Kudus, and are even being linked with a potential alternative who could be their own Rodrygo.

Spurs eye brilliant Kudus alternative

While Spurs have been linked with several attackers since the transfer window opened this summer, the most significant saga has concerned Kudus.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In fact, the North Londoners have already made an offer of around £50m for the West Ham United star, which was quickly rejected, and now look ready to make another, although with the Irons holdingh out for £65m, it remains to be seen whether a third offer will be required.

However, while the former Ajax gem would be an undeniably exciting addition to the Lilywhites’ squad, another name has now entered the fray: Jack Grealish.

Yes, according to recent reports via the Sun, Spurs are one of a few teams interested in the Manchester City star.

The report has revealed that, even though the Englishman cost Pep Guardiola’s side £100m in 2021, he is now available for a much lower price of around £40m.

While that is certainly an attainable price for the North Londoners, they’ll have to beat out the other interested parties, which include Aston Villa, Napoli and Newcastle United.

It might not be a transfer that’s immediately popular with fans, but Grealish is still a talented player and someone who could be a good alternative to Kudus, not to mention the fact that he’s been compared to Rodrygo.

How Grealish compares to Rodrygo & Kudus

The first thing to examine here is the comparison to one of Arsenal’s key targets: Rodrygo.

It stems from FBref, which, after examining players in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League, and the Europa League over the last 365 days, concluded that the Brazilian has been the third most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Englishman.

The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which they ranked closely, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, goals per shot, passing accuracy and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.37

0.32

Goals per Shot

0.07

0.11

Passing Accuracy

87.6%

85.9%

Expected Assists

0.21

0.20

Tackles Won

0.63

0.65

Successful Take-On %

44.8%

44.1%

Interestingly, the former Villa ace actually does marginally better than the Real star in most of those comparative statistics, suggesting that with more game time, he could still be a seriously effective winger.

With that said, how does he fare as an alternative to Kudus?

Well, and this might surprise some, given the reputation of the two players, but when it comes to output, it’s the City ace who comes out on top.

In his 1521 minutes of action last season, across 32 appearances, the “immense” dynamo, as dubbed by content creator Steven Mcinerney, scored three goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 190.12 minutes.

In contrast, the Hammers’ star scored five goals and provided four assists in 2721 minutes, across 35 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 302.33 minutes.

Furthermore, on top of the better raw numbers, the Birmingham-born monster can also cover positions on the wing and in midfield, so while he might not be quite as versatile as the Ghanaian star, he’d still provide Frank with tactical options.

Finally, even though the last few years have been far from ideal for the 29-year-old, he has experience playing in the biggest games and helped City win a treble, which may be the kind of know-how the new manager is looking for to help the club’s crop of young talents.

Ultimately, this might not be the most popular transfer among fans to begin with, but Grealish can be just as, if not more effective, than Kudus, and based on the comparison by FBref, their own Rodrygo.

The dream squad Spurs could build: £283m stars sign alongside Kudus

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Tour arrangements finalised at last minute with England due to depart within fortnight

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2024England’s Test tour of Pakistan next month will comprise back-to-back fixtures in Multan and a series finale in Rawalpindi, with the PCB finally giving the go-ahead to its revised schedule after a protracted delay.The original itinerary for the three-Test series, which forms part of the ICC World Test Championship, had involved a second Test in Karachi – the venue where England secured a historic 3-0 clean sweep on their most recent visit to the country in December 2022.However, the National Stadium in Karachi is currently undergoing major renovation work to prepare it for the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025, and with Rawalpindi unavailable for the second Test due to a major international conference in neighbouring Islamabad from October 15-16, the series had at one stage seemed set to be relocated to the UAE, with Abu Dhabi raised as a possible venue.Now, however, an agreement has been reached that the series will begin and end in Multan and Rawalpindi as originally scheduled, but the teams will remain in Multan for the second Test as well.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland are due to arrive in Multan on October 2, with Pakistan’s squad set to assemble in the city on the same date. The first Test gets underway from October 7-11, with the second following four days later, from October 15-19. The teams will then relocate to Rawalpindi for the third Test from October 24-28.”PCB is thrilled to welcome the England men’s cricket team back to Pakistan,” Usman Wahla, PCB Director, International, said. “Despite minor adjustments, we are committed to supporting fans and ensuring a memorable tour. We look forward to a fiercely competitive Test series and showcasing Pakistan’s renowned hospitality.”The announcement ends weeks of uncertainty surrounding the series, for which England last week named an unusually large touring squad of 17 players. Speaking ahead of the recent third Test against Sri Lanka, England head coach Brendon McCullum pointed out his side needed to know the venues in advance to be able to pick a squad that suited the conditions.The delay has been a huge frustration to England’s fans, with a number of tour operators cancelling their arrangements amid the lack of logistical arrangements.Revised itinerary
7-11 Oct First Test, Multan
15-19 Oct Second Test, Multan
24-28 Oct Third Test, Rawalpindi

England’s new era started with a familiar result: a second heavy defeat to Australia in three months. After a 36-run loss at Barbados’ Kensington Oval in June’s T20 World Cup, the margin was only eight runs smaller over 4,000 miles away at Hampshire’s Utilita Bowl, with Travis Head’s powerplay blitz setting up Australia’s win.An England side with an interim captain and coach – Phil Salt and Marcus Trescothick respectively – gave off an air of impermanence, quickly slipping to 52 for 4 in pursuit of 180. Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran – both dropped from next week’s ODI squad – added 54 for the fifth wicket, but the innings fell away in the chill.Sent in after a rain shower which delayed the toss, Australia failed to capitalise on their flying start, losing all 10 wickets for 93 runs after reaching 86 for 0 with one ball remaining of the powerplay. Head and Matt Short hit 15 of the first 35 balls for either four or six, with Head scoring only slightly slower than during his remarkable 80 off 25 against Scotland a week ago.England’s bowlers fought back once the field spread, with their two legspinners – Livingstone and Adil Rashid – returning combined figures of 4 for 45 from seven overs. Regular wickets through the second half of the innings meant Australia were bowled out with three balls unused – not that it proved costly, with Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa proving a cut above.

Travis’ Headstart

Conditions could hardly have been more different from the sides’ last meeting, with temperatures at least 20 degrees cooler than in Barbados on this bitter mid-September evening. Yet for England’s bowlers, the two powerplays felt remarkably similar: Australia’s early onslaught brought Will Jacks and Mark Wood’s 22-run overs in Bridgetown to mind.Short, who missed the Scotland series on paternity leave, replaced Jake Fraser-McGurk at the top of the order and pitched a strong case to be David Warner’s long-term replacement. They could hardly be more different in stature but Short proved just as imposing, flicking Reece Topley over square leg for consecutive sixes in the second over.Travis Head blazed a 19-ball fifty for Australia•Getty Images

And Head soon took over, making the sort of lightning-fast start that has become his trademark in his second coming as a T20 player. After thrashing Jofra Archer for three fours in four balls, Head successfully overturned a caught-behind decision off Saqib Mahmood. It seemed to prompt a realisation of his impermanence, with Curran bearing the brunt.Curran conceded a boundary off each of his first six balls, with half of those clearing the rope. Head was a step ahead, predicting where each ball would pitch: whether they were short or full, straight or wide, they disappeared to the rope. After losing his place in England’s ODI squad, this was not how Curran would have wanted to start the T20I leg.Head pulled Mahmood to six to reach a 19-ball 50, the seventh time he had brought up his half-century inside the powerplay this year alone. He fell to the final ball of the powerplay for 59, holing out to deep backward square leg, but Australia’s six-over total of 86 for 1 was the third-highest in their T20I history.

Legspin to win

Salt backed his spinners to put the brakes on through the middle and was vindicated straightaway when Rashid’s legbreak knocked back Mitchell Marsh’s off stump. Josh Inglis kept things moving in his 37 from No. 4, punishing Jacob Bethell when he dropped short, but Livingstone – the seventh bowler Salt used – proved the standout.Phil Salt was aghast after holing out in the deep•Getty Images

He had Short well caught by Curran at deep backward square leg, then struck twice in two balls. Marcus Stoinis crunched Livingstone back over his head for six but was trapped lbw on the reverse-sweep, and Tim David was smashed on the front pad while sweeping his first ball to leave Australia 132 for 5 in the 13th over.Curran recovered from his early struggles to bowl a reverse-scooping Inglis, before Archer and Mahmood rearranged the lower order’s stumps with a series of yorkers and low full tosses at the death.

Australia catch England cold

Temperatures dropped to single figures during the run chase, and England’s batters could only rarely warm the 15,011-strong crowd by prompting the pyrotechnics that greeted every boundary. Hazlewood, returning after a calf complaint, struck in his first over to have Jacks caught at long leg and England struggled to keep the required rate in check.A superb outfield catch from David, running back from mid-on to deep midwicket and diving at full stretch, accounted for Jordan Cox on international debut. When Salt picked out Short at deep square leg off the final ball of the powerplay, England were in trouble – and it got even deeper Bethell misjudged the length of Zampa’s legbreak to chop onto his stumps.Livingstone, promoted to No. 4 from his usual finishing role, took Stoinis for 17 in an over to give England a glimmer but when he and Curran fell within four balls of one another, the game was done. The only blemish for Australia came in the form of an apparent side strain for Xavier Bartlett: Cameron Green had to complete his fourth over, and later took an extraordinary diving catch running back from mid-off to remove Rashid.