England Vs Australia T20 World Cup: As Arch-rivals meet in Barbados, all eyes on Australia’s middle-order, England’s balance

The England vs Australia clash in the T20 World Cup 2024 becomes a massive contest,  particularly for England, as their first game got washed out against Scotland and eventually, they  lost a point. This scenario now heightens all the tension, excitement and nerves. Had England  won that game against Scotland, they would have been in a better position right now. It would  not be the end of the world for England if they lose the game against Australia, but with points  shared with Scotland, I think we are already, in a way, in knockout phase. 

I do not see England changing the side much fpr this game. Both sides have played a game each  at Barbados. If Jos Buttler views that the pitch is uneven and two-paced then England will  probably line up the same playing 11 they played against Scotland. But if their pre-match pitch  opinion is that it is better, I would not be surprised if they brought in Reece Topley. In fact, I  would do it myself if I were the captain. Topley will possibly replace someone like Mark Wood  as Jofra Archer should be played in the XI. 

I know that Wood bowled superbly in that little spell of his and was building up pace from the  first over itself, but I still feel Jofra Archer needs to have more game time in the middle. He  needs to get better and better, from England’s perspective, as the tournament goes on. He is your  X-factor bowler.  

The other advantage of having Topley on the side is his matchup with left-handed Travis Head.  Head has had his struggles against left-arm pacer of late. Bilal Khan of Oman, another left-arm  pacer, got him out in the first match. Head is looking vulnerable at times against the left-armers.  

Arshdeep Singh, Mitchell Starc and other lefties kept getting him out in the last phase of the IPL.  That is why this Head vs Topley contest becomes a huge matchup. One of Australia’s finest and  one who wins them big games would be a prized wicket for England. But having said that,  including Topley or not in the XI depends more on the conditions than matchups. 

England were sloppy in the field in that ten-over game. Also, they did not belong enough at the  stumps. The pitch was not so uneven, but there were balls keeping low. It hits an alarm bell in  the batter’s mind when the ball is going up or keeping too low. But when it keeps it low  particularly, you try and hit the stumps as a bowling unit. I thought England looked a bit rusty on  this front. But you need to consider the fact that they have just arrived at the World Cup straight  from a series and will take some time to get going. They will benefit from the gap between the  two matches and hope to get acclimatise in Barbados before the Australia game.  

I feel England won’t change their batting lineup, but I do believe that they can use Moeen Ali to  float around. If they feel they need a left-hander to break things up at the top, I would not be  surprised if Moeen keeps getting the promotion throughout the tournament.

As far as Australia are concerned, I am looking at their batting line-up and thinking whether they  need a bit of support in the middle order with Glenn Maxwell coming in to bat at number 4 and  Marcus Stoinis at 5. If England blow away the Aussie top-order, you have Maxwell and Stoinis  coming into bat. They have got many of these all-rounders in the middle order. But do they have  enough batting if they stick with the same and when the side is suddenly 30 for 3 or 4 inside the  6 overs? That is my concern.  

Josh Inglis missed out in the opener and Matthew Wade was played. He comes in at number 7,  which gives them depth in the batting order. Wade is a good player to come at 7 but I am unsure  if this is a great batting order when the batters at the top falter. Only time will tell whether  Australia’s plan to go with this middle order works or not. If the top-order fires, expect middle  order to do well. However, if the top-order falters I am not sure whether this middle-order will be  able to cope with it. 

As an opponent, you are looking at this Australian middle-order as their potential weakness  while it is also true that it can be a potential strength for them as well. 

I fully expect Pat Cummins to come back on the side if he is completely fit. Cummins will  probably come at the cost of Nathan Ellis. He is a very good bowler, and I am a huge fan of his, but Cummins inclusion means Ellis must leave. Even Cameron Green was missing in the first  game, and I wonder if they are going to slot him in that middle order at some point.  

Australia’s biggest concern will be the poor form of one of their biggest match-winners – Glenn  Maxwell. I do not see them leaving him out necessarily against England as he gives them a  bowling option and is a gun fielder. But his batting is a huge concern as he is consistently out of  touch from the start of the IPL. 

I am expecting a crackerjack game on Friday. All these big matches come down to small  moments, smallest of margins. Australia always look to win and England need victory after the  first match was washed out. There is lots to look forward to.