The T20I series between England and Australia has ended as a draw after the third and final match at Old Trafford was abandoned due to weather.

Manchester was bombarded with rain over the weekend, forcing a washout for Sunday’s series decider.

Attention turns swiftly to the five-match ODI series, with England and Australia next facing off at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

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AUSSIE OPENER BATTLE HEATS UP

Having dominated the Big Bash League over the past two summers, Matt Short finally got his opportunity to shine in the United Kingdom this week.

David Warner’s retirement created a vacancy at the top of the order in Australia’s white-ball sides — and Short has emerged as a leading candidate to replace him.

Short and Travis Head were at their destructive best against England last week, particularly during the Powerplay, combining for opening partnerships of 86 and 52 in Southampton and Cardiff respectively.

The Adelaide Strikers opener has flipped the script on who was supposed to replace Warner in Australia’s white-ball sides — following his retirement, Warner shared a photo of himself alongside rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk and captioned the post: “All yours now champion.”

Fraser-McGurk made his T20I debut against Scotland earlier this month, but the young Victorian had a week to forget in Edinburgh, registering scores of 0, 16 and 0. He was promptly dropped for the first match against England in Southampton.

However, an illness setback to captain Mitchell Marsh opened the door for the 22-year-old’s return, cracking a maiden international half-century in Cardiff.

Fraser-McGurk’s fifty offered a glimpse of his potential, but it remains to be seen whether he’s done enough to warrant selection for Australia’s next T20 series against Pakistan in November.

Before then, national selectors will be tasked with picking Australia’s next ODI opener, and there’s no shortage of options — Short, Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green, to name a few.

ABBOTT SEIZES RARE CHANCE

Sean Abbott is the leading wicket-taker in Big Bash League history, but the Sydney Sixers seamer has rarely been given opportunities in the national T20 side.

Despite making his international debut in 2014, Abbott had only played 15 T20Is before this month’s United Kingdom tour.

However, an injury to Spencer Johnson opened the door for Abbott’s return to the T20 side, with the New South Welshman playing all five matches against Scotland and England.

The 32-year-old was the leading wicket-taker for Australia across the campaign, taking 11 scalps at 13.27, including a three-wicket haul in the first T20 against England in Southampton.

Despite his UK heroics, Abbott is still behind Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis in the pecking order, while fellow seamers Xavier Bartlett, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson and Johnson will be fighting for opportunities in the national side over the coming years.

Unless members of the ‘big three’ decide to hang up the boots over the next 18 months, Abbott remains unlikely to feature in Australia’s squad for the next edition of the T20 World Cup, which will take place in the subcontinent.

PRESSURE MOUNTING ON STOINIS

Marcus Stoinis was arguably Australia’s best player of the recent T20 World Cup, but the all-rounder is under mounting pressure to keep his international career alive.

The West Australian, who lost his spot in the ODI squad last summer, struggled to have an impact with the bat in the United Kingdom this month, scoring 40 runs in four knocks with a strike rate of 105.26.

He also had a forgettable campaign with the ball against England, conceding 12.20 runs per over across two matches in Southampton and Cardiff.

Stoinis, who lost his national contract earlier this year, will be 36 when the next edition of the T20 World Cup rolls around, and with the likes of Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie breathing down his neck, national selectors may soon be tempted to look to the future.

INGLIS’ GLARING T20 WORLD CUP SNUB

With the power of hindsight, the national selectors may be questioning whether they backed the right wicketkeeper for this year’s T20 World Cup.

Matthew Wade and Josh Inglis were both named in the 15-player squad for the marquee tournament, but Inglis watched from the sidelines as Australia was knocked out in the Super Eight stage following defeats to Afghanistan and India.

The 36-year-old Wade had a tournament to forget, managing 27 runs in four knocks. He was subsequently dropped from the T20 squad ahead of the United Kingdom tour, with Inglis donning the gloves in his absence.

And across five T20s against Scotland and England, Inglis smacked 209 runs at 69.66, including a record-breaking century in Edinburgh.

Batting at No. 4, the West Australian made valuable contributions with the bat in Southampton and Cardiff, striking at 181.73 during the T20 campaign.

Inglis has not only cemented his place in Australia’s T20 side for the foreseeable future, but also left fans wondering why he wasn’t picked sooner.

YET MORE PROOF ZAMPA IS INVALUABLE

As identified by the legendary Ricky Ponting on Sky Sports commentary, Australia struggles to win matches when the opposition gets the better of strike spinner Adam Zampa.

In T20I wins, the leggie has taken 83 wickets at 15.20 with an economy rate of 6.38, while those numbers plummet to 27 scalps at 40.07 with an economy of 8.49 in defeats.

Zampa was a standout performer during the series opener against England in Southampton, taking 2-20 from four overs in the Australian triumph, but he was torn to shreds by young gun Jacob Bethell in Cardiff on Friday, finishing with 0-37 in a losing effort.

It’s yet more proof that Zampa is the most important player in Australia’s white-ball teams.

“If teams do get the better of Adam Zampa, Australia find it hard to win,” Ponting said.

“He’s the key for them through those middle overs, making the breakthroughs and breaking partnerships. That didn’t happen (in Cardiff).”