England will square off against Australia in the 36th ODI of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup on Saturday, set to commence at 2 p.m. at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
After a wrecked start, the Aussies have managed to keep their hopes for the semi-finals alive. Mitchell Marsh has returned to Australia for an indefinite period while Glenn Maxwell has also been ruled out from the Aussies’ game against England with a concussion during golf practice.
On the other hand, England is currently presenting the worst title defense in the history of the tournament with only one victory from six matches. The Jos Buttler-led side unit folded for a total of 129 runs in their last encounter against hosts India and might introduce the likes of Jason Roy and Harry Brook to repair their malfunctioning batting order.
What have they done so far?
The Kangaroos started their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign against India with a loss. After being three down in the initial couple of overs, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul guided the Indian team towards their first victory of the tournament.
In the next match, the Proteas thrashed the Aussies by 134 runs. However, they finally got on the winning ways after a victory over Sri Lanka. The win was followed by the likes of a memorable 62-run triumph over Pakistan and a massive 309-run thrashing of the Netherlands.
In their last match, they played a close contest against New Zealand. Travis Head made a stunning comeback against the Blackcaps with a century but Rachin Ravindra played a brilliant 116-run knock, almost taking the Kiwis to a record victory but the Pat Cummins-led side bagged the points on the last ball.
England’s campaign got underway with a 9-wicket loss against New Zealand. Centuries from Devon Conway and Ravindra helped the Blackcaps easily pass over the English challenge in the replay of the last edition’s final.
Post that. England recorded their only win in the tournament against Bangladesh. However, Afghanistan later took down the likes of the defending champions in a historical win by 69 runs.
England skipper Jos Buttler has disappointed over the course of the tournament
Nevertheless, the Poms’ biggest defeat was awaiting them at Wankhede Stadium, where South Africa recorded a victory with a margin of 229 runs over England. Adding to the agony, Sri Lanka also slammed the English cricket side by eight wickets. In the sixth game, they faced the favorites and hosts, India in Lucknow where India recorded a 100-run win.
Head to Head Record
England and Australia have locked horns against each other on a total of 155 occasions in One Day internationals. The Aussies have recorded 87 victories while England has only managed to win 63 games. Moreover, their contest has ended in a no result on three junctures while they have also played a draw twice.
Australia and England have played eight matches against each other at neutral venues. Just like the overall statistics, the Aussies have dominated against the Poms with six wins.
Key Players
Adam Zampa (Australia): The only full-time spinner in the Australian team, Adam Zampa has been the X-factor of the side. He currently has 16 wickets in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.
The right-arm leg-break took three crucial wickets against the Blackcaps while his bowling figures read 4/8 against the Dutch cricket team. Moreover, he also picked up four wickets against Pakistan. Zampa’s economy has been a reason for concern for the Aussies, however, he still has been their best bowler.
Dawid Malan (England): Former ICC World No. 1 batsman in T20I, Dawid Malan has scored the only century for England in their ongoing campaign. However, he has failed to show the same spark in other matches.
Before the World Cup, the opening pair of England, Jonny Bairstow, and Dawid Malan looked starry, however, their performance has now sunk drastically. Nevertheless, if Malan manages to settle his feet in the tournament, he can be a problem for England’s remaining opponents alongside Roy who could be given a chance in the upcoming fixture.
Predicted XIs
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins ©, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
England: Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (wk) ©, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Prediction
Since the ICC Cricket World Cup got underway, England failed to show their flair. On the other hand, the Aussies are currently on a four-match winning streak which puts them in the driving seat and makes Australia the favourite to win the match.