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Brydon Carse and Liam Livingstone took two wickets apiece but Australia started and finished well to leave England requiring 194 to level the three-match T20 series.
Just over a fortnight on from his return from a three-month ban for betting breaches, Carse, who replaced the rested Jofra Archer, bowled a heavy length and exceeded 90mph to snare Travis Head, Australia’s captain for the night in Cardiff.
Head – standing in for the ill Mitch Marsh – battered 31 off 14 balls, while Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 50 off 31 deliveries underpinned Australia’s 193 for six as they look to move into an unassailable 2-0 lead.
It was Fraser-McGurk’s first international fifty, having lit up the Indian Premier League earlier this year, before he perished attempting to loft Livingstone, who claimed two for 16 from three overs.
It was peculiar Livingstone did not bowl out, despite being tidy and a wicket-taking threat and Australia found an extra gear at the death, with Saqib Mahmood and Sam Curran expensive.
Matthew Short once again ignited Australia’s early charge with a larruped six out the ground necessitating a new ball and while Head got off the mark with a streaky top-edge for four off Mahmood, the stand-in captain was soon into his groove.
Mahmood and Reece Topley were frequently too full and their bowling was telegraphed by Head, who took sixes off both fast bowlers as Australia racked up 51 off four overs.
Carse halted Head’s onslaught with a 91mph fuller ball that was slapped to Rashid but Fraser-McGurk’s three successive fours off Curran ensured Australia ended the powerplay on top with 67 for one.
Carse and Adil Rashid dried things up and while the latter was thumped for six by Fraser-McGurk after enticing the straight drive, the Yorkshire leg-spinner’s googly castled Short, who had slowed to a standstill and was out for 28 off 24 balls.
Fraser-McGurk carved the returning Topley over deep point, through the hands of Jacob Bethell, en route to a 29-ball fifty before hammering Livingstone high into the air, with Jamie Overton safely underneath at long-on. Marcus Stoinis did likewise in Livingstone’s next over, with Overton again taking the catch.
Rashid’s final over disappeared for 15, with Josh Inglis bludgeoning for a straight six, although Carse got a toe-edge off Tim David through to Phil Salt, with the bemused Australia batter reviewing in vain.
Curran’s variation did for Inglis, who tamely lifted to deep square-leg from a pace-off delivery for 42 off 26 balls, but Overton shelled a running catch to see off Cameron Green and he lifted Mahmood over deep midwicket off the next ball.
Mahmood was unfortunate in going for 12 off the penultimate over before Aaron Hardie shovelled Curran for four-four-six, with the left-armer throwing in a couple of wides as Australia finished well.
