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Chris Woakes stars as England seal world record T20 win

12 January 11 12:00 GMT

By Oliver Brett

Chris Woakes was the hero on his England debut as Paul Collingwood's side produced a record eighth win in a row in Twenty20 internationals.

In a tense finale in Adelaide, Woakes, 21, hit the winning single off the last ball, finishing unbeaten on 19.

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson hit 59 from 31 balls as they made 157-4 batting first, and so nearly won the match with superb figures of 4-15.

But the hosts were unable to defend the total, England winning with 158-9.

Until Watson's dramatic impact with the ball, England appeared to be coasting to victory.

Eoin Morgan, signed by Kolkata for the Indian Premier League earlier in the week and one of the game's best finishers in a run chase, was to the fore as England began to eat up a modest Australia total.

But with 28 runs needed from the last 29 balls, and five wickets in hand, the chase began to go horribly wrong.

Having demonstrated his customary skill at shot selection, timing and placement, Morgan (43) surprisingly drove Watson straight to David Hussey at cover, and the next ball was nicked by Michael Yardy to wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

By the end of the over, England needed 27 from the last 24 balls but only had three wickets in hand - and suddenly the game was on a knife-edge.

Woakes, selected primarily for his bowling, promptly showed he might have the necessary tools for the big occasion. He smashed Shaun Tait for a vital six, but back came Watson to remove Tim Bresnan as Australia's revival continued.

When Brett Lee's last over went for 11, England needed only four runs from the last six balls.

Watson defeated Graeme Swann with the first delivery, clean bowling England's off-spinner, before last man Ajmal Shahzad scampered a leg-bye off the fourth ball.

Three were wanted off the last two balls, and Woakes finished the job, crashing Watson for two to the sweeper on the cover-point fence before clipping the last one over midwicket for the winning single.

In another corner of Australia, devastating floods struck Brisbane - having already wrought havoc across Queensland.

Accordingly, there was a minute's silence before play started, black armbands were worn and some players not involved in the action out in the middle spent periods of the game touring the perimeter collecting cash off spectators to aid the relief effort.

Born in the Queensland town of Ipswich, which was swamped by floodwater on Wednesday, Watson batted beautifully.

One of only three players retained from Australia's Ashes squad, he hit Swann's first three balls for six, taking 24 runs off the over in all.

Midway through the following over, the ninth, Australia were 83-0 and looking on course for a huge score.

But having raced along playing orthodox shots, Watson backed away to try to hit Yardy through the off-side, missed and was bowled.

Australia's innings never really recovered. David Warner, sometimes known as 'Cow corner Warner', went two overs later... caught at cow corner.

Hussey compiled a somewhat laborious 28 before he was castled by a Bresnan yorker while skipper Cameron White lofted a catch to long-on off Woakes.

The Warwickshire youngster bowled his full allocation of four overs, and overcame some early nerves to wind up with 1-34.

Aaron Finch, winning his first Australian cap, and Steve Smith attempted something destructive over the closing overs but England were disciplined. Yardy's final over went for just five and Bresnan's for four including a bye.

The final over, bowled by Shahzad, was better for the hosts. It included a dropped catch by Yardy - England were not at their electric best in the field - a reverse-hit over third man for four by Smith, and 13 runs in all.

England's opening burst of batting was a helter-skelter of fours, sixes, dropped catches - and to the relief of the Australians - completed catches.

Ian Bell, a new Twenty20 opener for an England side without four players from the team that had lifted the world title in the Caribbean in May 2010, should have gone first ball.

But Steve O'Keefe dropped a chance at square-leg off Tait and England had raced to 16-0 after seven balls before Steven Davies picked out extra-cover off the 34-year-old Lee.

Bell had another let-off, Warner spilling a tough chance, before departing when a searing drive was comfortably taken in the covers by Smith, giving Mitchell Johnson a wicket.

England were making fast progress. So when Kevin Pietersen, having hit O'Keefe for 10 from the spinner's first two balls, holed out to mid-off, there were no real alarm bells ringing at 63-3 in the sixth over.

Morgan began calmly, before greeting the return of Lee with a six pulled high into the crowd.

Initial support came from Collingwood but when the skipper was caught off an attempted reverse sweep, and Luke Wright fell lbw second ball, the pressure returned.

The runs flowed for Morgan, however, and England were cruising until Watson's late intervention.

As the teams regroup for Friday's second and final match, there must be concerns in the Australian camp that Watson was the only one of their players to have a major impact on proceedings.

Pacemen Lee and Tait, expected to provide a cutting edge, went for a damaging 81 runs collectively while taking just one wicket each.

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