T20 World Cup: England thrash Australia as Jos Buttler hits 71 not out

England outclassed Australia in a memorable eight-wicket victory to close in on a place in the Men's T20 World Cup semi-finals.

Eoin Morgan's side dominated from the outset, reducing Australia - unbeaten in their two previous games - to 21-4 in Dubai.

Chris Woakes removed David Warner and Glenn Maxwell and produced an outstanding one-handed catch to dismiss Steve Smith for one.

Lower-order hitting and captain Aaron Finch's gritty 49-ball 44 took Australia before they were bowled out for 125 off the final ball. It was never likely to be enough.

Buttler launched five huge sixes as the chase turned into a procession, the England-supporting contingent in the crowd singing and dancing in their seats.

It is Australia's heaviest T20 defeat in terms of balls remaining and maintained England's perfect start to the tournament.

They have three emphatic wins from three games and sit top of Group 1, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

England play Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Monday before finishing the group with a match against South Africa at the same venue next Saturday.

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• South Africa beat Sri Lanka in final-over thriller despite Hasaranga hat-trick

England humiliate oldest rivals

Despite being ranked number one in the T20 rankings, even England would not have expected to have made such a perfect start to the World Cup.

West Indies were bowled out for 55 and Bangladesh swatted aside with ease, but this win, against their oldest rivals, was utterly sensational.

By the end, amid Buttler's extraordinary hitting, it looked as though the teams were playing sports from a different age.

The opener peppered the top tier of the stands en route to a 25-ball fifty which included two sixes in two balls off pace bowler Starc.

After the loss of Jason Roy for 22 and Dawid Malan for eight, Jonny Bairstow joined Buttler for the closing moments. When he launched two sixes of his own, Morgan was shaking his head in disbelief.

England's performance felt remarkably similar to their famous eight-wicket thrashing of Australia at Edgbaston in the semi-finals of the 2019 50-over World Cup.

Continue this form and England could well back up that success and become the first men's side to hold both World Cups at the same time.

More to follow.

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