England vs Australia 2020: Old Trafford Manchester pitch report and weather conditions

After a 2-1 win in the T20I series, England will look to continue their momentum against Australia in a 3-match ODI series. The two teams will travel to Manchester now, as Old Trafford will host the three ODI fixtures.

England have been in terrific touch during the summer, and they have trounced West Indies, Ireland, and Pakistan in various formats. They registered a series win over Australia in T20Is and will start as the favorites to win the ODI series.

The home side has played many matches in Manchester in the last few months, and Eoin Morgan's men will be well aware of the pitch conditions. On the other hand, Australia have not played a one-day match since March. Their last outing at the Old Trafford was against South Africa in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where the Proteas defeated the Aussies by ten runs.

In the last ODI match between England and Australia in Manchester, the hosts edged their arch-rivals by one wicket. This series promises to be a thrilling affair, and here's a look at the pitch that Old Trafford offers, as well as the weather predictions for the next few days.

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Old Trafford Manchester pitch report

Jos Buttler's century helped England beat Australia at Old Trafford two years ago

The pitch in Manchester has supported the bowlers in ODI matches. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have scalped eight wickets each in the five games they have played here, while Chris Jordan returned with figures of 5/29 in the only ODI that he played at Old Trafford.

Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, and Jos Buttler have achieved much success at this venue, while Australian skipper Aaron Finch has 193 runs to his name in five ODI games at Old Trafford.

The highest score on this ground is 397/6, recorded by England against Afghanistan last year, which shows that if the batsmen settle down in the middle, it is not that difficult to play the big shots. 225-250 has been a par score in Manchester, and New Zealand defended 239 runs against India last year at Old Trafford.

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Old Trafford weather conditions

Old Trafford Manchester

The weather is expected to be sunny on 11th and 13th September, during the first and the second ODIs. However, there are predictions for light rainfall on 16th September, meaning that there could be a shortened finale.

Both teams would look to win the first two matches and take an unassailable lead heading into the final ODI.