The reigning champions England will face arch-rivals Australia in the 36th match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday. England is almost standing at the exit doors and the Aussies will want to give them the final push out of the competition.
The Three Lions have managed a solitary win in six games and their batting unit hasn’t come to the party. The Jos Buttler-led was bundled out for a meager score of 129 runs against India in their previous match and they will need to pull up their socks.
Australia, on the other hand, have been on the right track after losing their opening two matches. The Pat Cummins-led team has won four matches on the trot and they will want to carry the good show. However, injury concerns have hit them at the wrong time in the tournament.
Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out of the England clash due to a concussion, which he faced while playing golf whereas Mitchell Marsh has returned back to Australia for personal reasons. Both of these all-rounders have been in decent form in the last couple of matches and their absence will be a big blow for the team.
For England, the focus will be now to finish among the top seven teams in order to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They have failed as a unit but the world knows they are a better team than what the standings show.
Match Prediction: Australia will enter this contest as favorites against England because of their current form.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
