CT 2017, Match 10, AUS v ENG Preview: Australia look for a semi-final berth whereas England seek dominance

The final match of the Group A is set to take place at Edgbaston, Birmingham between the World Champions Australia and hosts England. It has all come down to this one to decide the semi-finalists from this group. England is the only team so far in the whole tournament with a guaranteed place in the semis. If Australia win, they’ll be the second team to qualify and if they lose, Bangladesh will move forward.

Australia’s both previous matches have resulted in abandonment and if the third one also gets washed out, they’ll, unfortunately, miss out and Bangladesh will be the beneficiaries. The Asian side will keep a keen eye on the outcome of the match and they’ll be cheering for England to win. It all promises to be a mouth-watering encounter.

The Aussies have been most hit by rain so far amongst all the teams. In their first match against New Zealand, it worked to their advantage as they were in a spot of bother when the rain came to their rescue. But in the next match against Bangladesh, they were at the receiving end and would have cruised to victory had rain not interrupted. It will be highly unfair in their part if they fail to make it to the next round in case of a rain in their last group game.

On the other hand, England have been the most dominant side in the tournament. Many had deemed them as the premier favorites to be the champions and they have certainly lived up to the expectations. First, they overpowered Bangladesh in a clash that was ruled by the batsmen and then got the better of New Zealand where they showcased their strength in the bowling department. Although they have already qualified yet they’ll leave no stones unturned in trying to finish unbeaten after the group stage.

Focus will be on

David Warner

Australia’s chances will heavily depend on the opening batsman. He had a poor start against the Kiwis but came to the fore against Bangladesh until rain played spoilsport. Warner has been the most prolific run-getter for the side for the past couple of years and the onus will be on him to take his side through to the semis.

Mitchell Starc

The pacer bowled a magnificent spell against Bangladesh where he bagged 4 wickets for 29 runs. His devastating yorkers frightened the Asian side and the team would want him to repeat that performance against England. The Player of the Tournament from the 2015 ODI World Cup will have to turn up with his best.

Joe Root

Root has been magnificent in the Champions Trophy so far and is currently the third highest run-getter of the tournament. He has had scores of 133 and 64 in two previous games. He has a history of doing well in crucial games and it will once more be an occasion where gets to stand out against the arch-rivals.

Team Combinations

Australia

The batsmen haven’t got enough time in the middle as they could bat only 25 overs in 2 matches due to rain. Aaron Finch is the only player to be dismissed twice for them. The chances for the team will be heavily reliant on the experienced duo of David Warner and Steven Smith. The others including Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Moises Henriques need to bring out their A game forward.

The bowlers came good in the last match and they would hope for similar returns in the do or die game. The pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will face a stern task against the strong English batting line-up. Adam Zampa might just hold the key and he had a good start in the last game against Bangladesh.

England

Jason Roy’s poor form seems to be the only cause for concern for the home side but Alex Hales and Joe Root have more than made up for his lackluster. The skipper Eoin Morgan is as solid a number 4 as ever you’ll find. Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler combine to make a formidable lower middle that can make chasing any target possible.

When it comes to the bowling, Liam Plunkett has been the pick of the lot with 2 consecutive 4 wicket hauls in 2 matches. The other pacers Jake Ball, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes have backed him up beautifully. Just as Zampa is for Australia, Adil Rashid will be of extreme importance for England.