The Ashes rivalry is all set to ignite once more in cricket's shortest format this week, as England host Australia in a three-match T20 series. 

After competing their Test summer, England now head into their first T20i since losing out to India in the semifinals of the World Cup in the West Indies. While Brendon McCullum has recently taken over from Matthew Mott as head coach, interim white ball coach Marcus Trescothick is set to take charge for this series.

Australia looked convincing in their warmup for this series by winning all three T20i fixtures against Scotland in Edinburgh earlier this month. Travis Head looked in particularly good form, hitting a quick-fire 80 runs from just 25 balls in the first match against the Scots. 

And so to Cardiff, where England need to win to keep the T20 series against Australia alive. Not that this little slice bilateral goodness is about winning and losing; it’s about… well, whatever you want it to be.

For many the most interesting aspect is the inclusion of young players on both sides: Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, Xavier Bartlett and maybe Cooper Connolly.

It’s also another chance to watch the astonishing Travis Head, whose riotous 23-ball 59 settled Wednesday’s game inside the first six overs. And even if it is diluted, it’s still England v Australia. There are and will always be worse ways to spend a Friday night.

Australia's Explosive Start

It’s a lovely, sunny evening in Cardiff. Travis Head, captaining Australia for the first time, is about to smash England to all parts (possibly).

Reece Topley’s first over disappears for 15. It started promisingly for England, with Short surviving a huge LBW appeal when an inswinger pitched just outside leg. Then, after a leg-side wide, he got stuck into Topley. Short pulled six out of the ground, edged four over the head of short third man and punched another boundary through mid-off. It could have been worse for England; Topley finished the over with consecutive dot balls.

Saqib Mahmood has the dubious privilege of bowling to Travis Head. It’s a really good first over – yet it still goes for 11. Mahmood bowled a Spandex-tight line, not giving Head much chance to free his arms. A top-edged pull looped over short fine leg for four, then Head launched an overpitched delivery down the ground for six. The straight boundaries are very short at Sophia Gardens.

Head check-drives Topley’s first ball over long-on for a marvellous six, holding the pose at the end of his follow through. A deliberate steer over short third moves him into the twenties after only eight balls. Once again Topley ends the over pretty well, with only one run from the last four deliveries, but overall it’s been another cracking start for Australia. You know it’s coming, I know it’s coming.

Head does superbly to drag an awkward short ball from Mahmood round the corner for four; then a helicopter shot teases the man at deep square before dropping short. I swear Mahmood is bowling well but he’s still going the distance. Short slices a big drive over the slips for four, misses a slower cutter and heaves another short ball for a single. Head backs away to swat the last delivery over short third for four; he is the most remarkable player and has vroomed to 31 off 13 balls.

England Fights Back

Brydon Carse replaces Topley, who misses a run-out chance from short fine leg with Head well short. It doesn’t matter because Head slugs the next ball straight to Rashid at cover point to end another brutal cameo of 31 from 14 balls. Carse, back in the side for the first time since his ban, has struck with his second ball.

Carse rushes Fraser-McGurk, then beats Short for pace. That’s a terrific first over: two runs and one Brobdingnagian wicket.

Adil Rashid starts with his usual brilliance. Just three singles from the over, which included three consecutive dot balls to a slightly befuddled Fraser-McGurk.

Sam Curran, who was pulverised at Southampton on Wednesday, gets back on the horse. Today his first over goes for 14. Fraser-McGurk slams three consecutive boundaries, all belters: a drive over mid-off, a baseball shot over mid-on and a hold-the-pose extra cover drive all along the floor. “The consistency with which Australia keeps producing stunning talents is worth studying and, if possible, copying,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Head is like Smith on steroids.” Talking of which, many happy returns to a man who would have been a helluva T20 player: Robin Arnold Smith is 61 today.

Adil Rashid strikes. He was smashed for a straight six by Fraser-McGurk earlier in the over, but he has just bowled Matthew Short with a classic googly. Short, who had violence in mind, was beaten all ends up to conclude a relatively laboured innings of 28 from 24 balls.

Carse has also been very good; I can’t remember him bowling better than this for England. Given the state of my memory, this isn’t necessarily a huge compliment.

Livingstone and Curran Lead the Charge

Liam Livingstone makes a solid start, conceding no boundaries in his first over. Fraser-McGurk did play one high-class shot, inside out through extra cover, that was stopped on the boundary. He’s more than just a baseball slugger.

The brutalisation of Reece Topley continues. His three overs have gone for 15, 11 and now 14, which gives him figures of 3-0-40-0. Fraser-McGurk muscled his first ball over cover for six, despite an admirable attempt from Jacob Bethell to at least save the boundary, then Inglis swivel-pulled a sweet boundary to long leg.

The spinners have again dragged England back into the game. Rashid and Livingstone have combined figures of 4-0-22-2. The seamers have gone for 96 from nine overs.

Fraser-McGurk works Livingstone for two to reach a confident, stylish half-century, his first for Australia. We’ll be seeing a lot of him in the next ten years – but not tonight, because he has slog-swept Livingstone down the throat of long on. Jamie Overton takes a comfortable catch to end a fine innings.

England on the Verge of a Comeback

Marcus Stoinis wasn’t out there for a good time or a long time. He blazed Livingstone miles in the air and was comfortably caught by Jamie Overton, running in from long on. That’s Livingstone’s fifth wicket of the series.

Australia bat really deep so the loss of Stoinis might be a blessing in disguise. Livingstone is having another excellent day/night: 3-0-16-2.

Inglis, a fine player of spin, makes room to ping Rashid for a sweet straight six, then gets a reverse sweep past backward point for four. Very fine batting. The usual ones and twos make it 15 from the over; Rashid finishes with figures of 4-0-35-1.

Carse ends a very impressive performance with figures of 4-0-26-2.

David is out! Yep, UltraEdge shows the slightest bottom edge. David went for a short-arm pull and scraped it through to Salt. No idea why he reviewed; he even looked at the bottom of his bat as he chatted to Josh Inglis.

Inglis is flying now. He hits Carse’s first two balls for four, dragging a pull from well outside off stump before rifling a drive past mid-off. Carse does brilliantly to concede only one from the last four balls of the over, and caps a fine performance with the wicket of Tim David off his last delivery. Or does he? David has reviewed.

Will England's Comeback Be Enough?

The No8 Aaron Hardie can play – his highest first-class score is 174 not out – so England still have work to do. An excellent over from Curran, full of cutters and slower balls, costs only four. The downside for England is that Australia will know how important it is to take pace off on this pitch. Even so, this has been a really good comeback: Australia have scored 44 for four off the last six overs.

Two in two balls, and this is a really useful wicket for England. Inglis lifts a slower ball from Sam Curran towards deep square, where Carse runs in and slides forward to take a well-judged catch. Inglis made an excellent 42 from 26 balls, inlucing 24 from his last 10.

England review unsuccessfully for LBW after a cracking yorker from Mahmood to Hardie. There was a slight bottom edge and it would have swung past leg stump anyway. But it was a beautiful delivery from Saqib, which he follows with a bit more reverse swing to beat Green. Saqib bowled far better than figures of 3-0-37-0 would suggest.

Green mistimed a pull off Saqib Mahmood and was badly dropped by Overton, running in from deep midwicket. Green pulls the next ball flat and hard for six, with a bald fella in the crowd taking a much tougher catch before turning to salute the crowd. #baldcommunity

Australia finish with a flourish, burgling 20 runs from Sam Curran’s final over. Hardie started with successive boundaries, thrashing to long on and slicing deliberately over backward point, then pulled a muscular six over midwicket. Shot!

Curran tries to hide the ball just inside the tramlines but gets it fractionally wrong on a couple of occasions. That means a couple of extra deliveries, though he does manage to avoid conceding any further boundaries.

This T20 series is being shown live in the UK by Sky and its Sky Sports Cricket channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the match via the Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the match. 

Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 a month right now.

This T20 series will be shown live Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports. 

A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices. The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.  Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.

Cricket fans in India can watch this series by tuning into the Sony Sports Network or by signing up to the Sony Liv streaming service. Sony Liv's coverage of this T20 series requires a premium subscription, which currently costs Rs 999 for a year, Rs 699 for six months, or Rs 299 per month. For cricket fans who only want to watch the action while on the move, a mobile-only plan can be had for Rs 599 per year.