England T20 World Cup defence on the brink after heavy defeat to Australia

It was supposed to be a game of relatively little consequence, the Ashes rivalry laid on for the sake of the broadcast deal amid an expectation that England and Australia would sweep aside the associate teams in Group B. As the two seeds, this would see them swan into predetermined slots in the Super Eight stage.

But after Tuesday’s washout against Scotland was followed by a heavy 36-run defeat to their rivals in sweltering Bridgetown, Jos Buttler’s defending champions have been plunged into a world of net run-rate calculations and weather forecasts when they meet Oman and Namibia in Antigua next week. Even dispensing with those two by heavy margins may not be enough.

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