Willey bang in form for T20 series

David Willey confessed a tinge of regret despite a day to remember in Canberra, having narrowly failed to flog Nathan Lyon for six sixes in an over.

The Yorkshire allrounder dominated England’s T20 tri-series warm-up against a Prime Minister’s XI, taking 3-32 with his leftarm seam then smashing 79 in just 36 balls.

The tourists sprinted to an eight-wicket victory with more than seven overs remaining, the ideal warmup for Wednesday’s opening clash with Australia in Hobart.

Willey was on the verge of marking the occasion with something special when he launched Australia’s Ashes-winning spinner over the ropes five times in a row in his second over.

But, with anticipation building even among the home fans, he had to settle for a sweetly-struck four through the covers from the final delivery.

Willey admitted he was unusually deflated to see one of his shots racing to the boundary. “Yeah, I probably was disappointed... especially in an England shirt. I can barely get it off the square usually,” he said with a broad smile.

“It would have been nicer to get the final one too but if you’re hitting 34 off an over you can’t complain.

“I got a chance at the top of the order with a couple of niggles and I had nothing to lose. I went out with a bit of a free rein and managed to clear the ropes a few times. No complaints.”

Willey only got his promotion to open the innings after Alex Hales (hand) and Jason Roy (back) withdrew from the game and has no illusions about making a permanent move.

“I think I’ll be sliding back down to nine or 10 for the first game (against Australia). That was my one chance,” he said. “I don’t think I can walk in there and say I should be batting higher up the order.”

England restricted a strong-looking home team, boasting seven Australian internationals, to 136-8. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson claimed 3-16.