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| Big knocks from Moeen Ali and Eoin Morgan and steady last over from Ben Stokes take host to five-run victory |
Morgan made 74 and shared a third-wicket stand of 135 with Moeen Ali, who made 72 not out, in a total of 182 for 5 after England, sent into bat, had slumped to 18 for 2.
Australia, however, was on course for victory while Steven Smith was making a T20I career-best 90. But they lost five wickets for 16 runs in 14 balls and finished on 177 for 8. Australia needed 12 to win off the last over, bowled by Ben Stokes, but lost three wickets, two to run outs. Stokes conceded just six runs off the over and finished with 1 for 29.
Earlier, England lost openers Alex Hales (three) and Jason Roy (11) in four balls from Pat Cummins to fall behind early on.
Morgan, however, struck a superb straight six off Mitchell Marsh that sent the ball soaring out of the ground and into River Taff to set the ball rolling and England then took 19 runs off Cameron Boyce's lone over of the innings.
Morgan also hammered Cummins for two sixes before he was well caught on the long-on boundary by Shane Watson off Coulter-Nile. Morgan faced 39 balls, hitting three fours and seven sixes.
Cummins, however, came back well to finish with 2 for 25.
Moeen faced 46 balls and struck six fours and two sixes in what was eventually recognised as a Man of the Match award-winning effort.
Australia, too, lost its openers cheaply, with David Warner out for four and Watson dismissed for eight.
But Smith and Glenn Maxwell (44) repaired the damage with a third-wicket stand of 112. Maxwell fell to Moeen’s first ball when a pull was brilliantly caught by a diving Stokes, running around at long-on.
Smith was in sight of a hundred when he pulle
d David Willey to Roy at mid-wicket. He faced 53 balls, hitting four sixes and seven fours. It was Smith's highest score at this level, surpassing his previous best of 34 against Sri Lanka in Perth in 2010.
Australia was then 165 for 5, needing 18 to win off nine balls. But, from then on, its innings fell away.
Source: ICC