England have a very good problem on their hands in T20I cricket; an abundance of world-class options at the top of the order. Ahead of the final T20I of the summer against Australia, and ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India, we give a basic lowdown on England’s strongest top-three candidates.

The men in form

Jos Buttler

The finisher who is thriving at the top. Following his match-winning display in the second T20I on Sunday, England’s white-ball phenomenon now averages 51 as a T20I opener at a strike rate of 157.73. The counterpoint has often been that Buttler can offer more down the order, where England lack the same depth, but the case for him to bludgeon from ball one now continues to grow stronger. England have won eight of the 11 matches he has opened in, while Buttler has also said that it’s his favourite place to bat in the format.

Dawid Malan

Malan still isn’t an established presence in England’s T20I line-up – Morgan talked up Buttler, Roy and Bairstow as his guns at the top of the order ahead of the Australia series – but the left-hander’s numbers are simply remarkable. In 15 T20Is he averages 50.84, with a strike rate of 147.87, and he has gone to at least 50 in over half his innings. He is watchful at the start of his innings, and on Monday, Malan admitted that he spoke to Morgan about the trait prior to the Australia series.

“He was like: ‘The way you play is exactly what we want, just keep doing what you’re doing’,” Malan said. “When the man that matters, Eoin Morgan, is happy with the way I am approaching it then that’s good enough for me at the moment.” Having added 108 runs in two innings since, both key in delivering England victory, Malan has not relented in pressing for first-choice status.

The ODI kings

Jonny Bairstow

Four single-figure scores in five T20Is so far this summer is a poor return, but in the second T20I against Pakistan at Old Trafford, Bairstow laid the platform for a mighty chase of 196 with a 24-ball 44. That’s what he can offer when he gets going and is reflective of the damage he has done on a consistent basis as an ODI opener too. Interestingly, while from a small sample size of six innings, Bairstow averages 46.20 at No.3 – where he batted in South Africa earlier this year, coming out after Roy and Buttler – in comparison to 22.50 as an opener. With next year’s World Cup in India, what England will surely also take note of is Bairstow’s IPL record: he averaged 55.62 as an opener for Sunrisers Hyderabad last year at a strike-rate of 157.24.

Jason Roy

Roy is currently sidelined due to a side strain, and with his white-ball credentials clear – the impetus he provided upon return from injury in last year’s 50-over World Cup-winning campaign will not be forgotten in a hurry – it is worth taking a look at his recent tally in the shortest format too. A career average of 24.57 is hardly extraordinary, but limit yourself from the start of June 2018: eight innings have returned 342 runs at an average of 42.75 and strike rate of 174.48.

The kid & the skipper

Tom Banton

The Somerset wunderkind has been used at No. 4 in the Australia series and returned 10 runs from two innings, struggling to get going in both. It’s as an opener he has made his name in domestic cricket and it’s where he delivered against Pakistan in the absence of Buttler, with a 41-ball 72 the standout. With his audacious scoops, Banton obviously has the required bravado to thrive at the top, but at this moment in time is serving time as a prodigiously talented reserve still learning the ropes at international level.

Joe Root

England’s management have said that the door is not closed on England’s Test captain despite his absence in T20Is dating back to May last year. At No. 3 for England, his average is healthy at 35.75, but a strike-rate of 119.91 is meagre in comparison to his colleagues. Still, Root was England’s leading run-scorer at the last World T20 and returned back-to-back half-centuries for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast last month after making himself immediately available for county duty following his Test commitments.