It’s that time again. The teams have started giving the forsaken and forgotten format a little more importance. With the Champions Trophy 2025 awaiting just a few months from now, the sport will start shifting more towards the ODI format. During any other time, a five-match ODI series would have been an utterly horrendous idea, but not now. Especially, keeping in view how the ODI World Cup in India last year unfolded for England, they would be desperate to rub out those memories with a successful Champions Trophy campaign. Australia, too, would share the same sentiment but of course, not for the same reason (for anyone who doesn’t want to can’t recall, they won the whole thing in India).
But the Champions Trophy is not the only thing both teams have in the back of their minds. The next year is an Ashes year too. Although it will be played in a different (a tad more loved) format, both would be happy with any sort of encounter to see how the other has prepared for the mentioned series.
Team Overview:
England’s captain, Jos Buttler, will not be joining the team in taking on the Australian owing to his calf injury. Harry Brook will fill in for him by boarding his maiden voyage as a captain. Buttler’s gloves will be given to Jamie Smith, who has earned it after his decent run against Sri Lanka in Tests. Ben Duckett will get to bat at one of the opening positions left empty by Buttler. England also have the services of Jofra Archer this time, but they will be extremely careful with how they tread around him, lest they tire him before the big event arrives.
For Australia, their main players come back into the team including Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Starc. Adding to that, with the brilliant form Travis Head is in, Australia would be naive (or ungrateful) to think they don’t have enough batting resources. The young Mahli Beardman has also been called as a backup, but he is unlikely to get the cap yet. However, for a five-match long series, one can never say anything for sure. Mitchell Marsh would, however, need to think who he would want to keep the wickets. He has both Alex Carey and Josh Inglis to do the job. On top of that, he also has five matches, and he might just use his time to find the right solution.
Head-to-Head Matches:
England have played Australia 156 times in the ODI format, with Australia having an upper hand on their rivals. The Aussies came out victorious in 88 games, while the English managed to win 63 matches. Three matches ended without any result, while a couple of games were tied. The last time England won an ODI game against Australia was in 2020.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Trent Bridge will get to bask in the sun that will show up during the game day, making sure the third T20I-esque scenario does not make an appearance again. The ground has a decent place to bowl for pacers with the bounce and pace the surface offers. The batters can enjoy the fact that the outfield is relatively quicker and will help them clear the gaps more often.
Prediction:
With the sort of bowling attack the Aussies have, they definitely will get an edge over the hosts. This could be the deciding factor ultimately, making Australia’s chances higher of winning the match.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the first ODI between England and Australia on the following channels/apps:
UK: SkySports, SkyGo App (Live Streaming)
Australia: Fox Sports, FoxTel (Live Streaming)
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: Sony Sports Network
