Australia v England first T20 predictions and cricket betting tips

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for Sunday's first T20 international between Australia and England in Perth.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 9.10am Sunday

Best bets

England to win first T20 international
2pts 8-11 general

Alex Hales to score over 20.5 runs
2pts 5-6 Betfair

First T20 preview

England continue their preparations for the T20 World Cup with a three-match series against tournament hosts and defending champions Australia and they should be backed to win the opening game at Perth's Optus Stadium.

The Aussies, crowned Twenty20 world champions in Dubai last November, are 3-1 to retain the trophy but 100-30 India and 7-2 England are also rated as serious contenders for the World Cup, which starts next weekend.

Australia sealed a 2-0 series win over an underwhelming West Indies side in Brisbane on Friday thanks to 75 off 41 balls from opener David Warner, player of the tournament at last year's T20 World Cup, and 4-20 from paceman Mitchell Starc.

Left-arm quick Starc has been rested for the first match against England, along with star bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa and ace all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar have only recently recovered from injuries so there could be a certain rustiness to the Australia side, whose middle-order looks far from convincing with Maxwell rested and Steve Smith in patchy T20 form.

England arrive in Australia after a stirring 4-3 series victory in Pakistan and they are set to welcome back white-ball captain Jos Buttler and all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is expected to bat at number four in the World Cup.

Buttler smashed an unbeaten 71 from just 32 balls in England's crushing eight-wicket win over Australia at last year's World Cup and the visiting batsmen should relish the chance to face a second-string bowling attack on a true, pacy Perth pitch.

Warner and T20 skipper Aaron Finch shared an unbroken opening stand of 109 when Australia beat Pakistan by ten wickets in the only previous T20 international at the Optus Stadium in 2019 and England opener Alex Hales will be hoping to have a similar impact.

Hales, recalled after three years in the international wilderness, is just ahead of Phil Salt in the race to open with Buttler at the World Cup and he has enjoyed huge success in the Big Bash, Australia's domestic T20 competition.

No overseas batsman has scored more Big Bash runs than Hales's tally of 1,857 in 60 innings for four different franchises and his strike-rate of 151 suggests it may not take him long to get over a runs line of 20.5 in the first T20.

The Nottinghamshire man marked his return to the international scene with 53 as England won the first T20 against Pakistan last month and it could be a similar story in the series opener down under.

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