LONDON: The stage is set for the oldest rivalry in cricket to be re-ignited as England lock horns with Australia on Tuesday at the Mecca of cricket, Lord’s.
Having suffered a shock loss to Sri Lanka in their previous encounter, the hosts would be eyeing to land a counter-punch against the Kangaroos.
Tuesday’s match at Lord’s was always going to be a showpiece occasion, but it has been given added spice by England’s 20-run loss to Sri Lanka.
Faced with a relatively modest target of 233 on a tricky Headingley pitch, England slumped to 212 all out.
Despite their second defeat of the pool phase following an earlier loss to Pakistan, the tournament hosts remained in the top four and on course for a semi-final spot.
2015 ANNIHILATION
England’s rise to the top of the One-day International (ODI) rankings since their woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup has been based on aggressive batting. Jason Roy’s absence has been a blow for the side’s tempo and the opener will not return to the XI for this game. England have still adjusted reasonably without him, given the plethora of match winners they have with the bat but even then, the impact Roy provides is peerless.
Apart from the Roy topic, England are likely to go into this game without a change. The two-spinner strategy worked like a dream in last year’s home series against Australia where Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid had spun a web around the batsmen.
Same will be expected from the duo although the Aussies have remarkably improved their game against slow bowling in recent times.
JOE ROOT THE KEY
Root Has looked as good as anyone in the tournament until Friday’s struggle against Sri Lanka. That Root still made 57 before edging Lasith Malinga down the legside says much about his quality.
One of only three men with 400 runs in the tournament, Root at his best gives serenity and confidence to England’s play that will be so desperately needed in the heat of a high-pressure game against Australia.
Only once in six innings at this tournament has he failed to reach 50, and it’s that consistency that makes him so precious for England, even more so with the top-order thrown off kilter by Jason Roy’s injury absence.
AUSSIES CHARGED UP
By contrast, Australia will be high on confidence after their exceptional show from their openers - Aaron Finch and David Warner. The bowling has also been in good stead with strike bowlers - Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins among the wickets.
The presence of all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis - returned from injury in the last game, will add balance to the side. However, the middle-order is yet to face a stiff challenge, and an all-round England attack will look to target that at Lord’s.
They are second in the table after five wins from six matches.
Undermanned and under-fire following a soul-searching few months in Australian cricket, they lost every game of that campaign in a bruising start to Justin Langer’s tenure as coach.
It was among the lowest points of Australia’s storied 50-over history.
“We tried last year to beat them at their own game and it wasn’t very successful. We came up pretty short in that series,” Finch said.
Come Tuesday, England would want to make most of the occasion: playing at Lord’s, semi-final spot to be sealed. But the most important thing would be to keep their calm because, the old foe is in town!
FACTORS THAT MATTER
Probable playing XI
- England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood / Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
- Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Usman Khwaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
The pitch on Monday bore a green tinge. And that looks likely to continue, Though lingering overnight rain is expected to ease out by morning, the day is expected to be largely cloudy. Heavy and thundery showers might develop, leading to a delayed start. Teams batting first have won three of the last four games at Lord’s, which makes the toss crucial.
