CT 2017, Match 10, ENG v AUS: Australia Predicted XI

Ahead of the Ashes rivalry in the shorter format, Australia will find comfort in the fact that they were placed second in Group until today. However, they have a set of things to deal with, most importantly, the rain that has turned around their fortunes in the previous two games.

Edgbaston, the venue for their next game now holds the reputation for being extremely prone to rain as not a single game has yet been played in this tournament without being affected by rain. The Black Caps have now lost their last chance to redeem themselves after a brilliant upset from Bangladesh who are now Australia’s only rival in the race to the semi-finals.

As they head into a must-win encounter against tournament favourites England, the Aussies are yet to show their potential to the fullest and have issues to address before the big game. While it is a do-or-die situation for Australia, England would prefer a victory, despite being the first ones to secure the spot for the semi-finals, because a victory against arch-rivals is always sweet, more so if it is at their home ground with the kind of momentum the English team has and in their bid to win their first ICC trophy in the ODIs.

Here’s the predicted XI for Australia in their last league game against England.

Openers (David Warner and Aaron Finch)

Chris Lynn was in sublime form in the Indian Premier League, but it is highly unlikely that the team management would encourage any changes in the line-up for a crucial game. The left-hand right-hand combination will persist despite Finch’s failure to make it big in the previous two games. Warner, on the other hand, started to show glimpses of his usual self in the match against Bangladesh with an unbeaten 40, before rain interrupted and the match was abandoned.

If his knock the other day is anything to go by, the vice-captain, in all likelihood will be back to his usual destructive self at the top of the order. Finch is also just a knock away from bringing back his ‘explosive’ reputation, and the knock very well might be for the English bowlers to witness.

Middle order (Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade)

Just how troublesome the rain has been for the Aussies is reflected one more time as shown in Smith’s last 2 knocks. He remained not out in both the matches (8* v New Zealand, 22* v Bangladesh) before rain decided to interrupt him and his knock that had just started to get better. The batting line-up consists of majorly explosive, hard-hitting batsmen and Smith is the best among the lot (or, the world) when it comes to anchoring the innings.

Glenn Maxwell should probably come under the all-rounder’s category, but because he hasn’t really had an outing with the bat or the ball in the matches except for the single over he bowled against Bangladesh, he fits into the role of the middle-order batsman more.

His last match in the IPL ended with a duck, he started his ODI stint in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka with a duck, so we’re yet to see if his form from the IPL will make an appearance here.

Matthew Wade too hasn’t got the chance with the bat but we’re not unaware of his abilities. Though the last ODI game he played was back in January, it doesn’t take away the fact that he’s a handy batsman who can provide the team with a handy fifty if the situation demands.

All-rounders (Moises Henriques, Travis Head)

There seem to be more all-rounders in the team than specialist players, if you think of it. Both these batsmen also overlap in the role of a middle-order batsman and they’re both capable of scoring big, impactful knocks once they settle.

Though the format is very different altogether, Travis Head looked exceptional with the 75 he registered for RCB against KKR. He repeated that one more time in the warm-up games as he piled an unbeaten 85* against Sri Lanka. He also brings a lot to the table with his off-spin that has resulted in dismissals quite often.

Henriques’ ability as an all-rounder is second to none as displayed by him repeatedly in the IPL this season. He has been vital at No. 3 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and can do wonders along with Steve Smith if he bats at No.4. Both these all-rounders are Australia’s “trump cards” and will play a pivotal role on the occasion.

Bowlers (Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood)

Though the batsmen did not get to show off their prowess as much as they would have liked, the bowlers got a fair share of it. Though Starc’s usual zip was seen missing in the match against New Zealand, he was quick to make a vicious comeback in the next match by scalping 4 wickets.

Combined with the presence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, theirs was expected to be the most lethal pace attack among all teams. While Hazlewood did show his class with his 6-for 52 against new Zealand, Cummins is yet to make it big in the wickets column.

Zampa (or his hairstyle) should be a definite entry in the Playing XI after a stunning performance of 2 for 13 in just 4 overs. He did not feature in the first match and Smith brought him into the attack late in the match against Bangladesh, but those for overs should be enough to justify a spot for the leggie.