NICK HOWSON looks at the major topics to come out of the final match of the three-game T20 series ahead of the ODI leg of the tour
In a desperate attempt to provide some context to this third T20 with the series having already been won by England, it was billed as a shoot-out for the No.1 position in the ICC rankings.
Eoin Morgan's men reached the top of the standings courtesy of going 2-0 up in the series, usurping Australia at the and would hold on to that position with another victory in Southampton.
The problem comes when trying to understand how both the rankings work, how many points each team gets for a victory, draw, or a defeat, and why on earth any of it matters.
In short, it is a minefield of algorithms, stretched over a three or four year period, depending on your current standing, the quality of your opponent, and the eventual result.
Reading the calculation is like watching most sports at the Summer or winter Olympics, or at least the ones where judges are involved. You're merely the spectator and cannot ever feel part of the event. The leaderboard is everything and you gain very little from watching.
With two World Cups on the horizon in successive years, we really don't require a ranking system that over-complicates the argument over who is the best international team on the planet. Without an understandable structure, such as the World Test Championship which for all its drawbacks is at least easy to follow, it is just a list of numbers and teams.
We're approaching an era where sport is conditioning itself for the mass market more than ever. The Hundred in English cricket's answer to that particular demand. But revising the ranking system wouldn't even be caving to the average person in the street, it would be allowing the thoroughbreds to grasp the concept as well.
Tom Banton recorded three single-figure scores in the series
The debate will forever rage over the hierarchy of Twenty20 cricket's global franchise leagues, and where the international game fits into that order.
There are several dynamics to take into account. Overseas player availability, domestic talent pool, finances, and team responsibilities all come into the equation.
Granted, there is no wrong answer but it can't just be assumed that the international version is the height of the form. The sample size is the largest of any of its competitors, meaning varying degrees of quality across the spectrum.
Tom Banton's short T20 career tells us that while he has enjoyed great success with Somerset and Brisbane Heat, his England outings have not yet hit those heights. He averages 22.77 in nine innings - far from disgraceful - but that return sits below his domestic and BBL performances.
That doesn't automatically mean T20Is present a greater challenge than either of the aforementioned leagues. But the opposition, broadly, is different. For example, at Taunton he is the No.1 attraction - with the exception of Babar Azam - and can play in the knowledge he has the full backing of his county.
In the BBL, the pace and bounce of the surfaces are perfectly suited to him. He arrived Down Under as a relative unknown outside of the south west of England but left with his reputation enhanced.
Having enjoyed an impressive series against Pakistan down the order, the third T20 was an opportunity for Banton in his preferred position as an opener, with Jos Buttler rested and Jason Roy injured. But a third single score of the series has hurt his selection hopes going forward. This is not an easy team to either infiltrate or remain in.
His back-to-back dismissals at the hands of Ashton Agar saw poor shot execution, slicing the ball up in the air from deliveries that deserved more respect. But being out-thought by a player with twice as much experience at this level is no disgrace. Josh Hazlewood bowled intelligently knowing Banton had to up the ante, with Bairstow absorbing deliveries.
The problem for Banton is such malaise hurts his chances to nail down a place in this England team. Though absent for much of this summer, Roy is very much the man in possession. Jos Buttler is nailed on. And Jonny Bairstow's half-century has reignited his claim. Before the series, Eoin Morgan called them three of the best white-ball batsman in England's history. Nothing has changed.
Though able to take the gloves, not having a second suit like a Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, or Joe Denly he is unlikely to be given the nod on the big occasions. He doesn't help his case either with bad fielding errors, with at least one occurring in each T20.
Having said that, it will be fascinating to see if he can force the hand of the selectors for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL starting later this month, and in the white-ball matches possibly in India next year.
1 - Moeen Ali will captain @englandcricket for the first time in a men's international. Skipper. #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/0Rq5D1WUYt
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) September 8, 2020
The saying goes that you can only aspire to a dream that you can see. In other words, real-life examples can help turn pipe dreams into reality.
Moeen Ali, in leading England in this third T20I against Australia in the absence of the injured Eoin Morgan, may have done that for dozens of budding youngsters.
The Worcestershire man is the first Asian cricketer to lead England in a T20 and the second in all formats. The first was Nasser Hussain, whose last outing as skipper came in 2003 - not exactly relevant for the current generation.
Of all the ECB's plans for the future, few have been more successful than the South Asian action plan. It's first year saw the Leyton Cricket Hub opened, £1.2 million secured from Sport England while a commitment was made to install over 100 non-turf pitches.
Those same youngsters who the ECB are seeking to engage and attract will hopefully have been inspired by Moeen leading this side in a T20 - the in-vogue format among that age group.
And with conversation growing regarding inclusivity and diversity within English cricket, it sends an extremely positive message.
"It is such an honour to captain your country and to lead such a side is great," said Ali. "A captain like Morgs produces other guys to be captains going forward so hopefully, I can learn from him."
Aaron Finch's side are No.1 in the T20 rankings - probably
It has been a curious series for Mitchell Starc.
The speed gun is asking for a rest. The Aussie has out-paced Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in this series, with a degree of ease. At times it has been brutal.
But the radar hasn't always been on the mark. Starc was wayward in the first T20 and while he improved for the second game he wasn't altogether accurate come the concluding match of the series either.
His figures read 11-0-92-2 but don't tell the whole story. On target, and Starc looked like the new ball threat he always has been. But when he got it wrong, either in length or line, he looked every bit a seamer who has not bowled competitively in over five months and is being gradually unfolded from hibernation.
Starc spent lockdown working on strengthening a body which has previously let him down. He put on 5kg in the gym, beginning this tour weighing 93kg. While Starc has put some of that extra power into practice with some quick bursts, there is also evidence that he isn't fully comfortable yet.
Couple that with the difficulty of hitting your straps after close to half-a-year out and it hasn't been the easiest of returns for the left-armer.
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