ICC Champions Trophy 2017: England's probable playing XI to face Australia

Australia will hope to play a full 50-overs game under clear skies when they take on arch-rivals England later today in the Champions Trophy. While the hosts are already through to the semifinals, Australia will be under pressure to perform after two washouts, one against New Zealand and another against Bangladesh, hurt their chances of making the last four.

If this match is a washout as well, Australia will not qualify for the semi-finals.

Going into the game, Australia would be taking positives out of their brilliant bowling display in their last game in which they bowled out Bangladesh for 182 before the rain.

As for England, who crossed 300 in both their previous games, and also did exceptionally well in their bowling department, there’s no shortage of confidence with a place in semifinal already booked.

Here’s the probable playing XI for England against Australia.

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Openers

Alex Hales

Alex Hales was at his menacing best against the Bangladeshis in the opening match of the tournament as he ripped through the bowlers. His innings of 95 off only 86 balls, helped Eoin Morgan and Joe Root to capitalise on later.

Against New Zealand as well, Hales put up a good show, scoring 56 from 62 balls to contribute to England’s total of 310. He has come good when it mattered for England and has perhaps saved his best for the crunch games.

Jason Roy

With scores of 1, 4, 8, 1 and 13 in his last five games, Roy is under immense pressure to justify his place at the top of the order. Although the hosts have an alternative option in Sam Billings, the 26-year-old should retain his spot for this game which is not a must-win for his team.

But, another poor outing would mean Roy’s spot in the playing XI for the semi-finals will be highly debated.

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Middle order

Another Root masterclass coming up?

Joe Root

Be it T20, Tests, or ODIs, give Joe Root any format and he will deliver. Averaging almost 50 in ODIs, his ability to control the flow of the innings augurs well for England’s chances to lift the trophy. He scored a century in the tournament opener against Bangladesh and followed that up with a half-century against the Kiwis.

With the kind of form that he is in, Root can intimidate the opposition bowlers.

Eoin Morgan (C)

Nobody would have thought that England’s ODI cricket would achieve all that it did after a disastrous 2015 World Cup, and a huge amount of credit for this goes to captain Eoin Morgan, who transformed the team completely. His leadership skills have stood out in this tournament as well.

Talking about his batting form, he started the tournament with a bang, scoring a 61-ball 75 in England’s chase of Bangladesh’s 305. Against New Zealand, he scored a 12-ball 13.

Jos Buttler (wk)

Buttler’s explosiveness makes him a great asset for the England team. Being a clean striker of the ball, he can change the tempo of the innings at any stage.

After not having got a chance to hit big against Bangladesh in the first game, he made the most of the opportunity against New Zealand, scoring a quick 48-ball 61. And if the top 4 batsmen give him a chance to come out on the field tomorrow, Australian bowlers may face the wrath of his explosion.

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All-rounders

Ben Stokes

Stokes, who was the most valuable player of IPL 10, is a huge asset to England’s menacing limited-overs team. Although he has not been too impressive with the ball so far, the game-changer plundered a 53-ball 48 against New Zealand in the last game.

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali has been very quiet in both the batting and bowling department thus far. He managed only 12 against New Zealand and did not bowl in that match. Against Bangladesh, he did not get to bat and remained wicketless.

However, in the ODI series against South Africa, Ali was quite impressive as he struck an unbeaten 77 at Leeds in the first ODI and was preferred over Adil Rashid in the match. He is one of the two specialist spin options in England’s preferred playing eleven, and to break the monotony of the quicks, he is very important.

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Bowlers

Plunkett has been the most effective England bowler in the tourney

Liam Plunkett

With his unbridled approach and raw pace, he is the Three Lions’ spearhead in ODIs. The 32-year-old’s line and length can push even the best batsmen on the back foot. His accuracy in the death overs is amazing, and he can pick up early wickets as well.

Adil Rashid

The primary spinner in the line-up, he has come good for England like only few could in the past. The 29-year-old can also chip in a few runs down the order. In the previous game against the Blackcaps, he had picked up two key wickets in the middle overs.

His bowling form has been in prime touch and he had returned with a match-winning five-for against Ireland in an ODI fixture prior to the commencement of the CT 2017.

Jake Ball

Against New Zealand in the previous outing, it took Ball only four deliveries in the first over of Kiwis’ reply to bowl Luke Ronchi for a golden duck on his way to a return of two for 31 in eight overs, which saw him named man-of-the-match. He will retain his place in the side and rightly so.

Mark Wood

Mark Wood has been the most impressive emerging pacer in the English camp. The way he successfully defended 7 in the final over of the 2nd ODI against South Africa spoke volumes about his precision with the ball. His ability to bowl well with the new ball and towards the death overs is something that makes him a direct starter for the match.