England, Australia in shoot-out for top spot in final T20I
A win will send them to the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings
DUBAI (Dunya News) – England have already sealed a series win, but both sides will be gunning for victory in the third and final T20I, with the winner poised to claim the top spot in the ICC Rankings.
Jos Buttler lit up the second T20I with an unbeaten 77*, but England will have to manage without him in the final game of the series. Despite having secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, the hosts still have plenty to play for.
A win will send them to the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings, having begun the series in second place behind Australia.
Australia, meanwhile, will be seeking their first win of the tour as a way to build momentum heading into the ODI series, as well as to hold on to the No.1 spot they claimed back in May.
Questions remain in the middle order for both sides, with the majority of England s runs in the last match coming from the top three in the form of Buttler and Dawid Malan – although Moeen Ali helped finish off the game with an unbeaten cameo. Australia s middle-order has also struggled to make the most of their starts.
England will be forced to make at least one change, with Sam Billings likely to come into the side at No. 6 to replace Buttler and Tom Banton moving up the order to fill the vacancy at the top.
Australia may well stick with an unchanged side, though they do have options should they want to give some experience to youngsters such as Riley Meredith or Josh Phillipe.
