England v Australia third T20I: Short shines heading into series decider

Hosts England roared back to win the second T20I in Cardiff by three wickets on Saturday and set up a series decider against Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester, which begins in the final hour of Sunday evening.

The Baggy Greens won the series opener in Southampton by 28 runs and looked well set for victory at Sophia Gardens, but they were unable to successfully defend 193 in Wales as the Three Lions got home with an over to spare.

And the two sides will certainly hope for better luck with the weather, with their only two previous T20I meetings at Old Trafford, back in 2009, having ended in a no result and an abandonment without a ball being bowled.

. What: England v Australia, third T20I
. Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
. When: 23:30 (AEST), Sunday 15th September
. How to watch: Kayo, Foxtel
. Odds: England 2.20, Australia 1.66

Short heroics not enough for victory

Despite being beaten in Cardiff, one Australian certainly enjoyed a fine individual performance, as Matt Short made 28 from 24 balls at the top of the order and then took 5-22 with his part-time off-spin.

The 28-year-old right-hander smacked 41 from 26 balls in the first game in Southampton and has certainly taken his chance to show what he can do with David Warner now out of the picture.

Short showing up well meant that Jake Fraser-McGurk sat out the series opener after struggling for runs against Scotland, but illness to Mitch Marsh meant that the youngster slotted in at number three in Cardiff and seemed to enjoy being away from the opening berth.

He made 50 from 31 deliveries, while Josh Inglis continued his fine run of form with 42 at a strike-rate of 161.54, having made 27 not out and 103 against Scotland and 37 at the Rose Bowl.

Australia, therefore, have few issues among their batters, with Short 2.10 to make 30+ runs at Old Trafford, while he is 4.50 to be top team batter

With the ball it is a different matter, with the absences of Josh Hazlewood and Xavier Bartlett in Cardiff clearly being felt as Australia conceded a record T20 run-chase at Sophia Gardens.

Bartlett will miss out again in Manchester due to a side strain, but Hazlewood is expected to return and he is 4.33 to be top team bowler on Sunday, with Short out at 6.50 despite his superb spell at Cardiff.

The in-form Sean Abbott is certainly a player to watch, having played in all five T20Is on the tour so far and taken 11 wickets - he is available at 2.50 to take over 1.5 wickets, having done that in four of his five appearances against Scotland and England this month.

All-rounders put Aussies to the sword

If Short was the star for Australia in Wales, Liam Livingstone was undoubtedly the standout performer for England, as he was named as player of the match for his 2-16 with the ball and a matchwinning 87 from just 47 balls.

The Lancashire all-rounder, who will play on home turf in the series decider, had been under pressure to perform before the series started, but he has responded in style, having also made 37 from 27 balls and taken 3-22 with his part-time off-spin in the opener at the Rose Bowl.

He was given fine support at Sophia Gardens by Jacob Bethell, who blasted 44 at a strike-rate of 183.33 in a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 90 with Livingstone, as he featured in just his second international.

Livingstone is priced at 4.50 to be top team batter for third time in a row, while stand-in skipper Phil Salt is also available at 4.50, having failed to reach double figures just once in his last 16 T20I innings.

Like Australia, England have issues with the ball, but paceman Brydon Carse made the most of his return to the fold with 2-26 in Cardiff and he is 6.00 to be team top bowler in the series decider.