1st T20: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler star as England beat Australia in thriller at Perth

AUS vs ENG, 1st T20I: Australia beat England by eight runs at Perth Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Alex Hales won the Player of the Match award for top-scoring in the thrilling encounter.

1st T20: Hales, Buttler star as England beat Australia in thriller at Perth. Courtesy: AP

By Sabyasachi Chowdhury: England, on Sunday, October 9, defeated Australia in the 1st T20I by eight runs at Perth Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

David Warner scored 73 runs off 54 balls and kept the Aussies in the hunt for victory for quite some time. But after he got out to Mark Wood with four overs remaining, the home team crumbled.

With 16 runs needed to win off the last over, fast bowler Sam Curran held his nerve to take England over the finishing line.

Curran conceded a four to start the over as the Aussies were well on course to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, thereafter, the left-arm pacer dismissed Matthew Wade and Nathan Ellis to help England take a series lead.

Wood, nevertheless, was the pick of the bowlers for England after he picked up three wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Reece Topley also accounted for two crucial scalps.

Earlier, England stormed their way to 208 for the loss of six wickets after Alex Hales and Jos Buttler went berserk. The duo put on 132 for the opening wicket of 11.2 overs after the Aussies put England in to bat first.

Buttler, who recently recovered from a calf injury, scored 68 runs off 32 balls with eight fours and four sixes. But it was Hales who did most of the damage. Hales, who won the Player of the Match award, scored 84 off 51 with 12 fours and three sixes.

Ellis was the standout bowler for the Aussies as he picked up three wickets. But apart from him, none of the Australian bowlers managed to keep a check on the English batters.