Buttler and Hales’s exhilarating start helps England to T20 win in Australia

Turns out ring-rustiness is for mortals. Jos Buttler, playing his first competitive game since mid-August, returned in remorseless, exhilarating style in this first Twenty20 against Australia, thrashing 68 runs off 32 deliveries to kickstart a match of broken records, explosive hitting from both sides and an inevitable sprinkle of controversy, which England eventually won by eight runs.

Before they did so David Warner once again demonstrated that he is second to nobody when it comes to belligerence. Australia were challenged to compile what would have been their highest-ever run chase on home soil and in the end it fell just out of reach. Never daunted by the need to score 209, it was only when Matthew Wade dumped the third ball of the final over of the match into the hands of Ben Stokes at deep midwicket that the game swung decisively in the tourists’ favour.

In a match of returns and of rockets Alex Hales made a compelling and possibly conclusive argument for a place alongside his captain, and Marcus Stoinis, freshly recovered from a side strain and earlier one of the bowlers who suffered at the hands of England’s openers, produced a brilliant batting cameo to reach 35 off just 15.

Given there were many sweet strikes it is ironic that perhaps the most memorable shot of all was a looping top edge. In the 17th over, with the match in the balance and tension spiralling, the ball came off Wade’s bat and did likewise. Mark Wood, having bowled the ball, sprinted forward to take the catch only for Wade to throw out his left arm to make sure he failed. A clearer case of obstructing the field can scarcely be imagined, but England’s appeal consisted of little more than Buttler’s plaintive shrug, and for some reason the umpires