First Twenty20 international, Old Trafford: England v Australia 145-4 - no result (rain)Match scorecard
**England were saved from probable defeat in the opening Twenty20 international against Australia when steady rain forced an abandonment at Old Trafford.**They restricted Australia initially after opting to bowl first, but Cameron White blazed three sixes in 55 from 36 balls to get the tourists up to 145-4.
England were struggling at 4-2 in the second over when rain fell again and the match was called off at 1804 BST.
The final match of the series is also at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
The teams were very different from those for the final Test match at The Oval, which England won seven days earlier to regain the Ashes -England’s line-up featured six players from that match, Australia’s only three.
And it was two who played no part in the Ashes that impressed most, White’s clean hitting providing the day’s batting highlight and paceman Brett Lee, delighted to finally return from injury, bowled fast and straight, reaching 92mph.
There were only seven legitimate deliveries in England’s brief innings before the rain came down but they lost two wickets in that period.
Joe Denly’s first Twenty20 international innings lasted one ball, as he was beaten for pace by Lee’s gun-barrel straight bouncer and spooned tamely to square-leg.
Ravi Bopara, dropped during the Ashes after a wretched run of form, then tried to force Mitchell Johnson’s rising opening delivery wide of off-stump and Shane Watson took the edge at first slip, standing almost on the 30-yard circle.
The players were then forced back to the dressing room but although the umpires later approved a re-start, with England having to score 46 from 23 balls under a revised target, a renewed downpour put paid to any hopes of a resumption.
Earlier, England had rotated seamers James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad to excellent effect, all touching 90 mph and cramping the batsmen for room.
Numerous full blooded swings spooned high off the bat as the Australians found the good-looking surface difficult, the ball sticking in the pitch and not coming on to the bat as expected.
But it was skipper Paul Collingwood who excelled after bringing himself into the attack after the completion of the powerplay and collecting 2-20 from his four overs.
His first wicket was fortunate as umpire Richard Kettleborough, in his first one-day international, failed to detect that the ball gave Warner out lbw even though the ball had pitched outside leg-stump as he swept.
But Collingwood deceived the batsmen with the spinners grip from a seamer’s faster arm, David Hussey succumbing second ball to an agricultural swing and miss, Matt Prior at the stumps neatly whipping off the bails.
At the halfway point Australia had scored only three fours in 60-3, but vice-captain White’s eye was sufficiently in to swipe the first six of the innings in the 16th over, a mighty hit over mid-wicket.
He danced down the wicket in the next over to launch Graeme Swann way over long-on for six more, holding a magnificently extravagant follow-through for the cameras.
Given the bulk of the strike by shrewd skipper Michael Clarke, White reached fifty from 33 balls with a short-arm jab over mid-wicket that sailed high into the committee room.
His innovative innings ended when Collingwood leapt smartly in the covers after White had smeared a wide one from Broad, bowling effectively from round the wicket.
Luke Wright spilled a straightforward looking chance on the long-on boundary as Australia somehow mustered eight despite an excellent final over from Sidebottom, who as ever did not hide his disappointment.
In the end it was the crowd who were disappointed, with no refunds offered, while the players come back to the same wicket on Tuesday for the second and final match of the series.