England and Australia face each other with eye on the future and with bigger prizes in store for both teams.
England and Australia square off in the first T20i tonight at the Aegeas Bowl in Southampton.
The last time these two teams met each other was in the T20 World Cup in Barbados. That fixture saw Australia beat England by 42 runs.
This time around, the focus will be on the larger picture for both teams. Both teams are looking to blood in new faces as they take the next step in their transition.
The fans are excited for this big clash with all the 5 games reported to have been sold out.
This is England’s first T20i series since their loss to India in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. It is also the first white-ball series after Matthew Mott stepped down as England coach. While Marcus Trescothick will be in charge on an interim basis, McCullum will take over from 2025.
The series comes too soon for skipper Jos Buttler who has not recovered from his calf strain. Phil Salt will be the stand-in skipper for the series.
England have gone ahead and announced their playing 11 for the first game. Debuts are handed out to Jacob Bethell as well as Jordan Cox. Jamie Overton will play only as a batsman.
Australia will be hopeful that Jake Fraser-McGurk finds his form after a lean run vs Scotland. With two ducks and a 16 in between, the youngster will hope to improve his run tally.
There wasn’t much grass on the ground, and some of the nation’s larger borders would be appropriate for Australia. The autumn weather is settled in, albeit a little cool at night. Hampshire is turning on 1000 solar panels at Utilita Bowl prior to the game, which is sold out.