Revived Australia, jolted England meet for must-win MCG blockbuster

After a crushing loss to New Zealand in their 2022 ICC Men’s World Cup opener, defending champions Australia got their act together with a rousing win over Sri Lanka in Perth this week, and now face England in what is being viewed as the home team’s biggest white-ball match since last year’s World Cup final. Ireland’s win over England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday has not just thrown Group 1 wide open, but it has turned Friday night’s match at the same venue – where another sold-out house is expected after over 90,000 fans turned for last Sunday’s India versus Pakistan game – into a must-win clash for both teams.

Australia are 1-1 after two fixtures, as are Jos Buttler’s England whose famed deep batting lineup has in successive matches been put under the pump, first by Afghanistan and then on Wednesday by Ireland who secured a five-run win on DLS after their opponents were stranded on 105/4 from 14.3 overs when rain in Melbourne cut off their chase of 158.

England’s batsmen struggled against Ireland’s pace bowlers who reduced them to 29/3 inside the Powerplay and then 86/5 by the 14 th over. England had themselves done well in the field to pull the Irish back from 103/1 to 157 all out, but losing nine wickets for 54 runs was pushed firmly into the background by Andrew Balbirnie’s team as they sealed one of their greatest wins given the reputation of their rivals.

What Ireland’s win has done is put Australia and England’s destiny in their own hands. To progress from Group 1 of the Super 12 stage into the semi-finals, both teams need win on Friday at the MCG. Barring any further upsets in the Super 12s, the loser of this high-octane clash will be out of the reckoning. That 89-run defeat to New Zealand has left Australia’s net run-rate so poor (-1.555) that even if they win all their matches from here, it might not put them into the final four.

But, following the wash out at the MCG of the New Zealand-Afghanistan match without a ball bowled, Australia are in a slightly better place than England when it comes to the semi-finals. New Zealand, meanwhile, are in the strongest position.

TEAM NEWS

AUSTRALIA
The legspinner Adam Zampa is expected to slot back in after a brief and mild bout of COVID-19, having not been risked in the game with Sri Lanka. While tournament rules did not bar Zampa from playing at Perth Stadium, the Australian management opted for safety and in
his place, the left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was picked. Zampa has returned multiple negative tests and bowled in the nets on Thursday, indication enough that he should return.

On match eve, news came in that Matthew Wade had also tested positive, but is only suffering mild symptoms and should play this match. Australia do not have a second wicketkeeper, after they replaced the injured Josh Inglis with allrounder Cameron Green last week.

Australia likely XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell/Cameron Green, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

ENGLAND

Buttler will seek a much-improved performance versus Australia. Changes might not be on the cards, but given how loose England’s bowling was during the first ten overs against Ireland it is not improbable that Chris Woakes makes way for David Willey. On a tricky surface, the batsmen also labored until Moeen Ali arrived with 24* off 12 deliveries, so it could be that a misfiring batting order is rejigged. England have hit just 15 boundaries in two matches at the World Cup, which puts the onus on the batsmen taking advantage of the
larger MCG outfield.

England likely XI: 1 Jos Buttler (capt/wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 David Willey, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid

PITCH & CONDITIONS

What we witnessed at the MCG during the England versus Ireland game was that a spicy surface and overcast conditions aided the seamers, and with more grey skies predicted for Friday it is likely that pace will once again dominate.

PREDICTION
A tricky one to call. Batsmen on both sides have been tested in successive matches, so it looks as if the team that gets more out of the middle order and slog overs could end up winning. On that count, Australia look to be marginally ahead.