England kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a five wicket win over Afghanistan, thanks to a brilliant display in the field.
Sam Curran became the first England men's bowler to take a five wicket haul in T20Is as he picked up 5-10, while Mark Wood's express pace proved particularly potent and Ben Stokes also showcased his all-round credentials.
England bowled Afghanistan out for just 112, taking five brilliant catches in the process as Mohammad Nabi's side lost their final seven wickets for 30 runs. England were made to work hard in their chase though, with Afghanistan's spin trio of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Nabi all impressing.
However, England's excellent bowling display meant Afghanistan simply had too small a total to defend, with Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali ultimately forcing a spluttering chase across the line.
Here are five talking points...
Stokes' all-round importance
Having opted to play the extra batter by including both Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, England decided to bank on Stokes, Livingstone and Moeen fulfilling the quota of a fifth bowler. However, they ended up only needing Stokes as he picked up 2-19 from his four overs.
Stokes opened the bowling, as he had done in several of the warm-up matches, and dismissed both Hazratullah Zazai and Najibullah Zadran. England have tended to play the extra bowler under Buttler, but that has largely been when Stokes has been unavailable.
His ability to generate swing means he is a smart option to take the new ball and, importantly, he offers another seam option with Livingstone and Moeen spinners. Although his batting is the main reason he has returned to England's T20 side and that has not yet fired, Stokes' ability with the ball and in the field may yet prove more important as the tournament continues.
Wood's X-factor pace
Having only just returned from an elbow injury, England will have to manage Wood carefully in this tournament. However, the 32-year-old is absolutely crucial to England's chances of success, with his express pace a massively potent weapon on Australia's fast, bouncy pitches.
And he showcased his importance perfectly against Afghanistan, picking up 2-23 from his four overs. Wood took the big wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his first ball and his second was clocked at 96mph.
In fact, every single ball Wood bowled was clocked above 140kph (87mph), making it the fastest four over spell ever at a T20 World Cup. His average speed of 149kph (92.5mph) was also record-breaking.
England's fielding brilliance
Livingstone, Moeen, Rashid, Buttler and Wokes all took stunning catches, with England on fire in the field. Livingstone produced a brilliant diving effort to remove Zazai, while both Moeen and Rashid took excellent catches running backwards.
Captain Buttler then perhaps took the best catch of the lot as he flung himself down the leg side and produced a magnificent one-handed take to dismiss Nabi. Woakes also took an excellent one-handed caught and bowled effort, while Afghanistan shelled two chances.
Australia's cricket grounds tend to be bigger than most other venues across the world, meaning fielding will have much more of an impact at this World Cup and England are one of the best fielding sides in the tournament.
Five-star Curran
Having made himself almost undroppable ahead of the tournament with impressive performances against Pakistan and Australia, Curran's World Cup could not have started much better.
The 24-year-old became the first Englishman to take five wickets in a T20I and just the third England player ever, with England women's stars Anya Shrubsole and Jenny Gunn also completing the feat. Curran has developed into an impressive death bowler for England and, with Reece Topley missing through injury, offers a point of difference as a left-armer.
"At the start of the game, I didn't expect to be walking off like that but it was a great performance by the boys," Curran reflected. "I had a chat with Jos, he told me I should be ready to ball in all phases. We have so many options in the team."
A stuttering chase
Having limited Afghanistan to just 112, England had a chance to boost their net run rate but were made to work by the threatening spin trio of Mujeeb, Rashid and Nabi. England lost five wickets and struck just seven boundaries, with the chase stalling badly after the powerplay.
Only Livingstone was able to strike at over 120, with England's batters struggling to time the ball. And when asked if he felt England only sealing victory with 11 balls to spare was a missed opportunity, Wood told Sky Sports: "It's easy to say you want to get your run-rate up.
"The ball was swinging and there was extra bounce. We went out there with the intention, but sometimes you have to play smart cricket."
