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Eng vs Aus, 1st T20I – Does the all-rounder fest between England and Australia set the course for the future of T20?

An England side half their strength travelled to Australia on a bitterly cold night at the Utilita Bowl in Hampshire: this was not a T20 international to be long remembered. Travis Head, the match's top scorer, was dismissed in the powerplay. No batsman faced more than 30 balls, while Liam Livingstone and Sean Abbott were the only bowlers to take three wickets.

Still, it was an evening that taught us something about T20 cricket and its evolution as the format enters its third decade at professional level. The two teams selected were remarkable: 21 of the 22 players selected could either bowl or keep wicket, with England's Jamie Overton – an all-rounder selected as a specialist batter due to a back injury – being the only exception.

Thirteen bowlers were used – seven from England, six from Australia – and all 22 players batted, with both teams being bowled out for the first time in a men's international T20 tournament in England. It was not a game that required much attention: on average there was a boundary in every over (one in 5.7 balls) and a wicket in every other over (one in 11.7 balls).

Is this the future of T20? The trend throughout the format's history has been for more runs to be scored and more wickets to be taken with each passing year. Most teams preach a consistent message about their approach – giving batsmen freedom to attack and prioritising wickets over being economical with the ball – but there are no obvious signs that will change any time soon.

The abundance of versatile players reflected this pattern. When wickets fall more frequently, there is a greater expectation that the lower order players can bat. And when the upper order batters see fewer balls, they have to find another way to contribute, be it with the ball, the gloves or in the outfield.

“That's been a real trend with all T20 teams recently,” said Mitchell Marsh, Australia's captain. “The more options you have as a captain and as a team from a bowling point of view, the better it is to be able to switch between different bowling options. The more we can develop our young all-rounders, the better it is for us.”

Marcus Trescothick, England's interim coach, believes national teams simply “go through phases” where they have an abundance of all-rounders. “It's really beneficial when you have groups of seven or eight people who can bowl and you have a team that can bat up to number 10 or 11. Then you're lucky – but that's not always the case.”

But in England's case, it looks like a permanent change, with the vast majority of players on their way now multi-talented. Take Wednesday night's other debutants: Jacob Bethell describes himself as an all-rounder, while Jordan Cox is England's closest equivalent to Glenn Phillips: he is an occasional wicketkeeper and electrifying outfielder, and has even started to dabble as a part-time spinner. Will Smeed, another highly talented T20 batsman who retired from first-class cricket at 21, has ambitions to improve his own offbreaks to give himself another leg to stand on.

England's large number of all-rounders in this series is partly due to circumstance. Harry Brook, who has not bowled a ball in his 54 limited-overs internationals, is recovering after the Test series against Sri Lanka; so is Ben Duckett, who has only played wicket-keeper once in the last three years. On Wednesday they appeared to be short at least one batsman, with Jofra Archer at No.8.

But the fact that so many players have a secondary skill is a clear reflection of market forces during this franchise boom. Among foreign players in this year's IPL, Rajasthan Royals' Shimron Hetmyer was the highest-paid specialist batsman; including batsmen who bowl and the wicketkeeper, there were nine foreign all-rounders who earned more.

This trend is particularly pronounced in England and Australia, where players compete for contracts in overseas leagues during the long off-season. Having a secondary skill that an agent can sell to franchises can make the difference between a well-paid contract to play T20 games overseas and winter training at indoor school.

The main counter to this trend comes from the world champions of the format. India have often struggled to balance their T20 side: not many of their bowlers contribute with their batting, and vice versa. The introduction of the Impact Player rule in the IPL – which allows teams to select an additional specialist for each innings – has arguably exacerbated the problem.

And yet India's victory over South Africa in June could be seen as the end of that era. Only three of their players that day were neither regular bowlers nor wicket-keepers: two of them, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, retired from T20Is immediately; the third, Suryakumar Yadav, took his first T20I wickets in July, taking a match against Sri Lanka into an improbable Super Over.

While Wednesday night's game in Southampton highlighted the wealth of secondary skills available to modern players, it was also a reminder that T20 is at its best when specialists are successful.

The defining moment in England's comeback came when Josh Hazlewood – who has scored 29 runs in 52 T20Is – bowled an 85 mph/137 km/h ball to Liam Livingstone, disguising it as a slower ball and briefly showing Livingstone the back of his hand as he released it. It was a moment of genius that underlined that for all-rounders' importance, quality always wins.

Matt Roller is deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98

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