England Vs Australia Warm-Up Match: Key Battles To Look For Out

When the fixtures for the warm-up matches ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2019 were released, there was perhaps no match that caught the fans attention than the one between England and Australia.

Even though its status is that of a practice match, the identity of the rivalry that the two share is such that no stone is going to be left unturned when these two meet at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday.

What the practice match does is not only further build up anticipation to the event but also give two of the best sides in the world an opportunity to show why they can go the distance at the tournament.

Australia have issues to address with the most prevalent ones being that of how David Warner and Steve Warner can adapt to the international format after a one-year hiatus.

Kane Richardson will be another player who’ll be shortlisted to try out in the warm-up encounter with the side looking to build on the momentum garnered after their series wins against India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, England have questions which they’ll be happy to answer. James Vince, Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer were all recently included into the 15-man squad for the side and these are specialist players who can win a match single-handidly for the country. England will be looking to try out all of these in the warm-up match and nail down on their best playing XI.

Key Battles

Jonny Bairstow Vs Jason Behrendorff

445 runs in 10 innings in his first season in the IPL, followed up by a 70-ball 100 against Pakistan are numbers which stamp Jonny Bairstow’s authority as a cricketer.

He’s someone who can take apart any bowling unit. Fearless in his approach, Bairstow can provide England with a quick start that their middle-order can capitalise upon.

He’s earned plenty of laurels with his extensive showing with the bat recently and the opener will be looking to prove once again why he’s so highly regarded.

With an expansive artillery of shots in his possession, Bairstow is set to light up the World Cup.

Australia will be looking to deploy pacer Jason Behrendorff early on against Jonny Bairstow. They know that once he’s settled into his grove, Bairstow is someone who refuses to head back to the pavilion.

In India, Behrendorff showed that he can trouble the batsmen on any surface in the world and his restrictive line and length could be the weapon Australia can use against one of the most in-form batsmen in the world at the moment.

Jofra Archer Vs David Warner

Two players who are yet to face off against each other in the international cricketing arena constitute this facet of our pick.

Both the players make our bill based on the consummate success they encountered in the Indian Premier League, something that sees them being billed so highly ahead of the showpiece event.

David Warner ended up with the orange cap in the IPL and his partnership with Jonny Bairstow was one of the main attractions.

The partnership amassed a staggering 786 runs in 473 balls at an average of 87.33 and had a strike rate of 166.17 in 10 matches, with Warner coming up with the runs repeatedly.

Elsewhere, Archer emerged as one of the positives from a dwindling season for the Rajasthan Royals. His showing with the ball and pace saw the clamour grow for his inclusion in the short format and with England finally selecting him, the pacer will need to show why he was touted so strongly for a spot.

In Warner, he’ll face a batsmen who likes getting after bowlers and this clash will be the perfect test of his abilities.

Probable Winner

England are going into the World Cup as the No.1 ranked side and for a reason. It's probably the strongest bunch of players England have managed to acquire in over 10 years and something that sees them as frontrunners for the elusive trophy.

Things however won’t be as straightforward when they take on Australia. The side have encountered a massive upsurge with the 3-2 series triumph in India. They always fare well at international events and they’ll be looking to put their best foot forward.

It’s going to be a thrilling match and we see England just about edging past Australia. The home side are just too strong and they should be able to register a win against Australia on the day.

Squads

England

Eoin Morgan (C), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Jos Buttler (WK), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Australia

Aaron Finch (C), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Match Details

ICC ODI Cricket World Cup Warm-Up Match, England Vs Australia

Date And Time: 25th May, Saturday- 3:00pm IST

Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Television: Star Sports 1, 2/HD