Malan and Curran help England beat world champions Australia in T20 series

England put in another all-round effort to defeat world champions Australia by eight runs in the second T20 in Canberra on Wednesday.

Dawid Malan underlined his T20 credentials with a fabulous 82, while left-arm seamer Sam Curran bowled with precision at the death to help the visitors seal the three-match T20 series and give them a timely boost heading into the World Cup.

Malan shared a crucial 92-run stand in Canberra with Moeen Ali (44) as England compiled 178-7 against a full-strength Australian attack after being reduced to 54-4.

In reply, Australia kept losing wickets and while Mitchell Marsh hit 45 off 29 balls and Tim David scored 40 off 23, the hosts fell short.

Curran finished with 3-25 as the Aussies struggled to 170-6.

"Really satisfying win after losing the toss as well and setting a target," said England skipper Jos Buttler. "I think we showed great character and Malan played fantastically well to anchor the innings."

Buttler also praised Curran’s contribution, saying “he’s one of those guys who enjoys those tough overs … wants to be in the thick of things.

“We had to get Tim David out to win the game. We knew we needed to find a way to get him out.”

Malan smashed seven boundaries and four sixes in his 49-ball innings to revive England. He went in at the start of the third over after Buttler was out for 17. Malan dug in while Hales (4), Ben Stokes (7) and Harry Brook (1) all fell cheaply.

Ben Stokes with an absolutely magical boundary save