Australia successfully defended their 179 total as England’s batters squandered a first-inning recovery in the two sides’ first T20 of a three-match series.

After a powerplay verging on disastrous, England’s attack mounted a tremendous fightback, led first by Liam Livingstone (3-22), and finished off by Jofra Archer (2-31) and Saqib Mahmood (2-21).

All three had chances for a hat-trick as Australia collapsed from 86-0 after 5.5 overs to 179 all out, the final four wickets falling for just seven runs.

But if Australia’s innings suffered a rapid deflation, England’s hardly got off the ground with the hosts slipping to 52-4 after 7.4 overs and ultimately falling 28 runs short.

England won the toss and elected to bowl, following scattered afternoon showers in Southampton.

A devastating opening stand of 86 began in earnest with Matthew Short hitting consecutive sixes in the second over and Travis Head finding three boundaries in the third.

Mahmood thought he halted Australia’s opening partnership in its tracks, but Ultra Edge confirmed Head’s shoulder caught a nick off the ball, rather than his bat.

Undeterred, Head and Short continued to thrash the ball to the boundaries, hitting Sam Curran for 30 in the fifth over alone.

Player of the match Head then brought up his half century in style, launching over the rope round the corner to reach 51 off only 19 balls.

Mahmood eventually capitalised on a mistimed swing from Head (59), with Jordan Cox a safe pair of hands at deep square leg to get his name on the scoresheet on debut.

Applause greeted the 30-year-old from Adelaide as he made his way off and his replacement Mitchell Marsh soon followed.

Adil Rashid’s dizzying leg spin bamboozled the Australian skipper and found the stumps as Marsh departed for just two.

Short (41) lasted two balls after the drinks break, which the tourists took at 118-2, sweeping Livingstone’s leg break and finding Curran at deep square.

And after conceding just four off his first over, Livingstone pinned a reverse-sweeping Marcus Stoinis (10).

Lancashire’s right-hander was the happy beneficiary of an immediate Salt review, and instantly repeated the trick against Tim David (0) with a fuller delivery.

From 86 without loss post-powerplay, the visitors had now jettisoned half their order before the close of the 13th over.

Curran knocked down the stubborn Josh Inglis (37) with Australia limping to 165, recapturing some redemption after his earlier expensive spell with the ball.

Archer continued England’s closing momentum and matched Livingstone’s two-in-two with a couple of stump-crunching yorkers to see off Sean Abbott (4) and Xavier Bartlett (0).

And if Australia thought their collapse could not get much worse, Mahmood bowled Cameron Green (13) in the very next delivery.

A defiant four off Archer from Adam Zampa (5) was the final whimper and Cox’s unerring arm ran out the tailender.

With England in to bat, Will Jacks (6) suffered an early dismissal, flicking Josh Hazlewood’s leg-side delivery straight to Short.

David’s stunning catch brought Cox’s (17) first international outing with the bat to a close and stand-in captain Salt (20) fell to Sean Abbott at the end of the powerplay with England 46-3.

Debutant Jacob Bethell (2) swiftly saw his leg stump removed by Zampa and despite a mid-innings resurgence from Livingstone, England were on the ropes.

A resolute fifth wicket stand between Livingstone (37) and Curran (18) brought the hosts to 106-4 midway through the 13th over, but once the latter went, the former soon followed.

Abbott recorded a no ball and back-to-back wides before dismissing Curran via Zampa’s catch in the same over.

Livingstone clipped onto his stumps from Hazlewood four deliveries later and Archer (1) departed exactly an over later, caught by Short off Green.

Jamie Overton’s (15) spirited knock was ended by Zampa, bowled off the Englishman’s pads, and both Rashid (7) and Mahmood (12) went down swinging.