T20I series: Maxwell stars again as dominant Australia crush England by 7 wickets, reach final

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Melbourne, Feb 10: Australia eased to a commanding seven-wicket victory over England on Saturday to make it three wins from three and reach the final of the Twenty20 tri-nations series.

Glenn Maxwell, who scored a stunning century in the five-wicket triumph last time out, top-scored again for his side with 39 as the hosts chased down England's 137-7 with ease.

Some heavy late hitting from Aaron Finch (20) ensured Australia got the job done with 33 balls to spare in Melbourne.

Having won the toss and elected to bowl, Australia – who beat New Zealand in their opening contest – quickly put the ball to good use and had England reeling on 34-3.

Alex Hales, Jason Roy and Dawid Malan were out cheaply as England suffered in the absence of injured captain Eoin Morgan.

Despite Jos Buttler adding 46 runs, the tourists failed to find their rhythm in a disjointed display, Kane Richardson taking three wickets.

James Vince's run-a-ball 21 and an eye-catching 29 from Sam Billings was about as good as it got for them, despite accounting for the dangerous David Warner (2) early in Australia's response.

From there Australia's innings accelerated, as D'Arcy Short compiled a fine 36 not out, with Chris Lynn piling on 31 and Maxwell's fluent knock featuring two maximums, as he became the fourth Australian to pass 1,000 T20 international runs.

After Maxwell departed in the 14th over, Finch enjoyed an entertaining five-ball cameo that yielded a pair of sixes and two fours to complete the victory.

England face New Zealand on Tuesday in desperate need of a win, while Australia's next match is against the Black Caps on Friday.

Source: OPTA/Omnisport