Third time’s a charm, England
England have quite a few excuses to make for their awful performances in the previous two ODIs. Their coach and captain are temps. With their best batter injured, they are a batter light. Their bowling attack has yet to take the test of time. A few of these would even be enough to salvage them from their punishments, at least, partly. But it ought not to be ignored that the English players have lost both games from the positions, none of the above excuses can justify. In the first game, there was a late-innings collapse that prompted them to end at a target lower than what they initially set out to get. Their faults were a tad more subtle and scattered during the second game. After neutralizing the threats from Travis Head, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, England were well on their way to halting the visitors for a relatively achievable total. But Alex Carey made sure that the task for the Hazlewood-Starc duo was made easier.
The third game now awaits to see how important the next two will be. England would like the third time to really pop up as a charm for them. Nevertheless, they don’t have many options at this point, except to really charm the Aussies out of their winning tempo.
Team Overview:
Australia opened with Matthew Short and Travis Head, dropping Mitchell Marsh down the order and Cameron Green from the team. It’s almost cruel to field both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood against a team full of wet-behind-the-ears players. But Durham and the grey weather might demand a pace-dominant side to be played. With the sickness that hit the camp nearly over, Mitchell Marsh would have plenty of options to choose from. It’s also about time that Steve Smith showed his bat does not like staying quiet for long.
Adil Rashid completed his 200 ODI wickets during the last game and is definitely the odd one in this new English side. Having seen the team at its peak in ODI under Eoin Morgan and comparing it to now, when it’s still early days for his (younger) compatriots, he would feel quite old. But not old enough to not give his team a cushion. Even in Durham, he would be a force to reckon with. With Jofra Archer in view to get back into the team, Olly Stone will sit this out. But for the hosts, it will be the batters who’d get the authority to decide where things fall.
Head-to-Head Matches:
England and Australia have played each other a whopping 158 times in the 50-over format, with Australia having the upper hand on their rivals. Australia won 90 of these encounters, while the English managed to win 63 matches. Three matches ended without any result, while a couple of games were tied.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Durham is covered in grey clouds, but the rain is expected to respect the game day and stay away for most of the game. It might rain in the evening, so interference should not surprise anyone. Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street would be a decent place for the Pacers to bowl, especially with the weather. Batters can hope the surface will assist them as the pitch inclines more on the flatter side.
Prediction:
England could make a comeback in this match, given what they have at stake. While Australia still are likely to win the game, England could defy the expectations this time and keep the series alive
Where to Watch:
You can watch the second 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
