DUBAI: Jos Buttler was near his brutal best as England thrashed old rival Australia by eight wickets with 50 balls to spare at the cricket T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Buttler smashed 71 not out from 32 balls with five thumping sixes and five fours as England’s batters quickly finished off what its bowlers had started by knocking the Aussies over for 125.
Buttler dismantled a vaunted Australian bowling attack, punishing both quick bowlers and spinners — and scattering the crowd with huge hits into the top tiers of the stadium — as England powered home in Dubai by making 126-2 in 11.4 overs.
“A pleasure to watch genius at work,” England teammate Liam Livingstone said of Buttler. “He’s the best hitter of a white ball in the world. A clinic of white-ball hitting.”
It was a clinical way also for Eoin Morgan’s England team to take the outright lead of Group 1 and re-emphasize its status as one of the favorites for the title.
Openers Buttler and Jason Roy put on a rapid 66 to start England’s chase. Jonny Bairstow was with Buttler to finish it off, and also didn’t hang around by launching two sixes in his 16 not out from 11 balls.
England lost Roy for 22 and Dawid Malan for 8 and barely noticed.
England’s bowlers, with Chris Jordan leading with 3-17, raced through Australia’s batting lineup at the start, with the Australians sliding to 21-4 in 6.1 overs. Australia rallied to see out its full 20 overs, but only just with Mitchell Starc the last man out off the final ball of the innings.
Jordan was one of three England seamers to subdue the Australian batters, with Chris Woakes taking 2-23 and Tymal Mills 2-45.
Australia’s top order fell apart in the first four overs after being put in to bat, with David Warner (1), Steve Smith (1) and Glenn Maxwell (6) all back in the dressing room.
Australia was 51-5 before Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins and Starc swung the bat and connected for five sixes between them to give themselves at least something to bowl at.
But it wasn’t nearly enough and England, with comprehensive wins over West Indies, Bangladesh and now Australia, appears headed for the knockout stages. Maybe there will also be a chance to put right a heart-wrenching loss to the West Indies in the final of the last T20 World Cup in 2016.
“The challenge for us is adapting to conditions away from home,” England captain Morgan said. “We did that really well in the first two games then a big test against a really strong Australian side.
“They are all hard (games), we treat everyone with the same respect.”
Australia, which belied its shaky recent form by winning its opening two games, is tied with South Africa for second place in Group 1 but behind the South Africans on run rate. Saturday’s hammering by England was Australia’s heaviest loss in terms of wickets at the World Cup.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka earlier on Saturday and only the top two teams from the group will reach the semifinals.
“We had to bowl them out, no issues there, but Buttler played a hell of an innings,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said. “We got off to a poor start, but a couple of days off to recharge and we’ll dust ourselves off.”
England gives old rival Australia 8-wicket thrashing at T20 World Cup
https://arab.news/4e2nw
England gives old rival Australia 8-wicket thrashing at T20 World Cup
- Jos Buttler dismantled a vaunted Australian bowling attack, punishing both quick bowlers and spinners
- South Africa beat Sri Lanka earlier by four wickets with a ball to spare
E1 World Championship opens 2026 season in Jeddah with expanded field, growing global profile
- Season’s opener features record 10 teams
JEDDAH: The 2026 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF will launch its new season in Jeddah, with the Red Sea city once again hosting the world’s first all-electric raceboat series, and champions Team Brady beginning their title defense against an expanded and competitive field.
Set against Jeddah’s Red Sea coastline, the season-opening E1 Jeddah GP 2026, which takes place over Jan. 23-24, will feature a record 10 teams racing the cutting-edge E1 RaceBirds, underlining the rapid growth of the championship and its ambitions as a global competition spanning four continents.
Team Brady are the outfit to beat, having claimed the Champions of the Water title in 2024 and 2025. However, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, with several teams strengthening their lineups ahead of the new campaign.
Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club join the championship for 2026, adding further depth to the grid with a mix of experienced and emerging pilots. Team Rafa, who finished just 11 points behind Team Brady last season after a title fight that went down to the final laps, are widely regarded as one of the leading contenders and will be aiming to make an early statement in Jeddah.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James also return to race on home waters, one year on from their E1 debut. Carrying local pride, the team will be looking to build on last season’s momentum in front of Saudi fans.
The world-class field is further strengthened by a roster of high-profile, celebrity-backed teams, including Will Smith’s Team Westbrook, DJ Steve Aoki’s Team Aoki, Team Drogba, led by football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire, and Team Miami, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Marc Anthony.
Fans will be able to get close to the action across qualifying and race day, with on-water viewing available from the E1 Fan Zone. The area will give visitors the chance to see the E1 RaceBirds up close and will feature a gaming arena with simulator and virtual reality experiences, as well as a VOX cinema screening of “Zootopia 2.” Merchandise outlets and a range of food and beverage options will also be available, creating a family-friendly race-day experience.
Beyond the racing, E1’s return to Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom’s growing role in shaping the future of electric sport and sustainable mobility. The championship serves as a living laboratory for electric propulsion systems, accelerating innovation that can influence marine transport while also supporting broader conversations around ocean protection.
As part of its partnership with E1, Formula E’s Driving Force Presented by PIF E360 is hosting its educational program in Jeddah this week. The initiative aims to inspire students aged 8 to 18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as sustainability, through the lens of electric racing.
The program reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025 alone, with a further 50,000 targeted this year, taking its reach to over 100,000 young people worldwide.
On the sporting side, PIF’s commitment to excellence will again be recognized through the PIF Pilot of the Day award, presented after finals day to honor standout skill and performance over the race weekend.
Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of E1, said: “Starting our 2026 season in Jeddah is a powerful statement for E1. The region represents ambition, innovation and a clear vision for the future, and the Red Sea provides the perfect environment as our largest grid yet of 10 teams begin their battle to be crowned 2026 Champions of the Water.”
The Jeddah race is set to deliver high-intensity competition, renewed rivalries and an early glimpse into the future of high-performance racing on water.
