T20 World Cup 2022: Match 26 - Predicted Australia Playing XI vs England

After a thumping comeback against Sri Lanka, Australia are all set to take on England in a mouth-watering clash at the mighty Melbourne Cricket Ground in Match 26 of the T20 World Cup 2022. The Men in Gold and Green suffered a hammering at the hands of New Zealand in their first game and they needed an inspiring performance to move on from the defeat. 

Marcus Stoinis stepped up at a crucial time and played a timely knock which changed the course of the game. The Australian bowling attack did leak a few runs in the final overs and the upcoming fixture against England will be their most important match in the group, especially after how the rain has played spoilsport in the games so far.  

England are coming off an unexpected loss against Ireland and their performance against Afghanistan wasn’t clinical either. With all that said, let us look at the probable predicted Australia playing XI for the fixture against England.  

Openers – Aaron Finch (C), David Warner 

Aaron Finch remained unbeaten on 31 off 42 balls in the previous encounter against Sri Lanka and struggled throughout his innings. The right-hander hit just one maximum and could not play his natural game. He has looked in trouble against the new ball and will be looking for a turnaround in the upcoming fixture. 

David Warner is yet to fire in the tournament, however, he remains a match-winner at the top of the order. The 36-year-old will be looking to spend more time at the crease before going hard at the bowling as he can demolish bowling attacks once he gets into the groove. 

Middle Order – Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk) 

Mitchell Marsh has a big role to play at number three and so far, he has looked rusty after coming back from injury. The right-hander has had scores of 16 and 17 in the two innings so far in the T20 World Cup 2022 and a lot more will be expected from him in the upcoming fixture.  

Glenn Maxwell started the turnaround for Australia in the previous game with a 12-ball 23 which included two sixes and two fours. The right-hander has got the 360-degree shots to upset a bowler's rhythm, and he bowled an economical over with the ball as well in the last game. He will be the X-factor in the middle-order for Australia.  

Tim David is yet to unleash his full potential and he can be quite destructive once he has the freedom to do that. The right-hander did not bat in the previous game and he could be the difference in the game against England. His ball-striking abilities are up among the best in the world and he will be a player to watch out for.  

Matthew Wade has tested positive for COVID-19 and there isn’t a backup wicketkeeper in the 15-man squad as Josh Inglis was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Despite Warner and Maxwell training for the role in the nets, Australia are likely to go ahead with Wade for the upcoming fixture even if he isn’t fully fit for the game.  

All Rounders – Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar 

Marcus Stoinis was phenomenal in the previous game and his 17-ball half-century broke the record for the fastest fifty by an Australian batter. The right-hander hit six sixes and four fours in his unbeaten 18-ball 59-run knock and took the side comfortably to the target with more than three overs to spare. Stoinis showed the impact he can have with the bat and he will be the first name on the sheet going forward.  

Ashton Agar had a good outing against Sri Lanka after coming into the XI at the expense of COVID-positive Adam Zampa. The left-arm spinner finished with 1 for 25 in his four overs and can add to the batting strength down the order. 

Bowlers – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood 

Pat Cummins was a touch expensive in the final overs and he finished with 1 for 36 in his four overs against Sri Lanka. The right-arm quick can be skiddy and has troubled the best of batters in the world. He is a leader in the mix and will be looking to add some more wickets to his tally.  

Mitchell Starc wasn’t preferred with the new ball and was instead used as the one-change bowler in the previous game. The left-arm quick can be lethal with his yorkers at the death and he finished with just 1 for 23 in his four overs against Sri Lanka. Given his match-winning potential, Starc is expected to crank up his pace a little bit which might help the wickets column.  

Josh Hazlewood is by far, the best bowler going around in the T20I format at the moment and has been producing performances game after game in different situations. The tall-lad thrives on the Australian conditions and has used the bounce he extracts to his advantage.