England take on Australia in what is billed as another epic contest in this T20 World Cup 2022 after the IND vs PAK spectacle that we witnessed a few moons ago. What’s interesting is where these two sides find themselves in points table. Both with a win and loss each, enter a sort of must-win encounter on Friday at the MCG. A loss here may make it very difficult for either of the sides to make it to the semi-finals.
England’s loss to Ireland was very unexpected and it should work as a wake-up call for them more than anything else. Hopefully, the Ireland setback won’t push the panic button with just three more matches remaining in the Super 12s and the rain threat looming. England should not make drastic changes in the playing XI.
On the other hand, Australia have scraped through so far. A shocking loss to New Zealand in opener, more in terms of margin than prediction. They were completely outplayed vs the Kiwis and even when they beat Sri Lanka, they didn’t look at their best there. But I am sure Aussies will pull their socks up for England. There’s rivalry and there is pride at stake here. They cannot afford to not make the semi-finals in their own backyard.
Firstly, a look at England Jos Buttler’s England have had recent success vs Australia, beating them in two back-to-back matches before the World Cup. Those wins should give them a lot of confidence going into the contest. They have a balanced side who might have fallen short against Ireland mathematically but they still remain a force in the tournament.
They received a big blow with Reece Topley getting ruled out of the tournament due to a leg injury. In his absence, Sam Curran’s role becomes very important, especially with finishing games with the ball. He has loads of experience now for he has played around the world for different franchises. His batting should not be underestimated either. It is nice to see him good form with the ball at the moment. Adil Rashid needs to find his best form as he is crucial to England’s success in this tournament.
The X-factor, however, for England in World Cup is Mark Wood. He is generating pace and getting bounce and along with Rashid can make a massive impact. I believe that a genuine fast bowler with a fine leg spinner are crucial raw materials for a T20 side.
The England batting lineup looks really, really good too. Buttler at the top with Alex Hales, who enjoys Australian conditions. His performances in Big Bash are testimony to the same. Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook are great options in middle. Livingstone is a brutal hitter of the ball plus his bowling helps balance the side. Brook, at the same time, is an emerging batting star with confidence of great English season behind him.
Australia’s middle order has firepower
Aussies will be happy to see England lose to Ireland. They recently lost back-to-back games vs England and they should be feeling confident after watching the team which played so well against them in lead up to the World Cup showing their vulnerable side. Aaron Finch’s form is a concern but they do have the batting to make up for that. Their middle order especially is filled with firepower. There’s Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stonis and Tim David.
Stoinis’ morale must be high after his match-winning fifty vs Sri Lankans. I am looking forward to watching Tim David. I have been a huge fan of him as he is one batter who changes the course of the game very quickly. There is a great matchup in store as well in David vs Wood. Wood’s pace vs David’s power will be one exciting battle.
Another Aussie who has impressed me the most is Josh Hazlewood. He is the most improved T20 bowler in the world, has worked very hard on his bowling when we look at him and his numbers now. The IPL exposure has certainly helped him. He is a smart bowler now who constantly varies his pace and is hard to line up as a batter.
Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc form one of the best pace attacks in the competition. Adam Zampa will be crucial but one is not sure about his Covid status whether he is fit to play or not England and Australia: Two evenly matched sides Both the teams are well-rounded, in my opinion. Both have possibly the two best number 7s in the competition in form of Moeen Ali and Matthew Wade. Both the teams have many bowling options up their sleeve. Both sides will feel comfortable going hard in early overs as they are batting-heavy. The advantage for Australia is that their 3,4 and 5 ball and that helps the balance of the side. It would be also interesting to see a mini-battle between Warner and Buttler at the top. These are two explosive openers and the long boundaries should not be a huge deal for both of them.
