England vs Australia 2020, 1st ODI: Preview, Live Streaming, Timings, Predicted XI, Stats, Pitch Report & more

The action from Southampton will move to Manchester as England and Australia will meet each other in the first of the three-match ODI series commencing from Friday. The Brits are appearing after registering a victory by 2-1 in the recently concluded T20I series, that could well have belonged to Australia had they been able to grab the chances that came their way.

The priority of Aaron Finch and his men would be to improve and come out with a balanced XI amongst the plethora of options they have got. The series is significant in terms of the 30 ODI World Cup League points that are on offer for the sides. And that is precisely what the Super League envisions: to provide relevance and context to the multiple bilateral series running between the duration of the quadrennial mega-event of a World Cup to another.

The two teams last met in the last year’s World Cup semi-final, where England convincingly ended better than Australia. And that has been the story of Australian ODI cricket for a while. After they met England in the World Cup encounter, Australia has lost five of the seven games they have played, including a 3-0 whitewash against South Africa earlier this year. If this sample period is short and the results appear dull, the story of the last 3 years is only gloomier as Australia has been able to win only two of the 9 series in the given period.

The Australian skipper showed his concern over his team’s lack of consistency in the pre-series interaction with the media. “Leading into this one-day series we’re just looking to be as consistent as possible, we know that our world ranking reflects the inconsistency we’ve had in the one day format…” stated Finch. Australia – who saved their top spot in the T20Is by securing a victory in the last game against England – are 5th in the ODI rankings.

To look at their adversary’s recent run, the hosts have played six ODIs ever since the fateful World Cup final against New Zealand, and have drawn a series 1-1 against South Africa and defeated Ireland 2-1 in their first ODI stint after the pandemic-enforced break. Australia came to England only after staying away from the action for five long months, and despite the T20I series lost, they would have been able to fine-tune themselves and clear the webs after the long break. Given all of this and the 30 points on the table, the series awaits some good action.

Pitch and Conditions

The strip at the Old Trafford has a reputation for assisting the pacers more than most places in England. Although, by Eoin Morgan’s expectation, the track is expected to be slow and one where the ball will grip a bit, and none of that does not sound promising for a high-scoring game. Conditions are going to be slightly overcast but there is no threat of rain.

Team Combinations

Australia

Australia already has their best unit with the most prominent names of David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell available for their respective top-order duties. Marnus Labuschagne’s addition only adds more balance and strength to an already daunting order. Alex Carey, who was dropped in the last T20I, is expected to pick himself this time around.

The choice at No. 6 needs to be made between Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh, however, the latter might be picked ahead after his work in the last T20I at the Ageas Bowl. Adam Zampa will hold the duty in the slot of spin, whereas the pace troika of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood is the likely combination.

Predicted XI- David Warner, Aaron Finch (C), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschange, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis/Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

England

For England, three of their regular limited-overs players: Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, and Joe Root are back in the team, although the premium all-rounder Ben Stokes is missing on account of personal reasons. Roy, who is coming back after a side strain, is thankfully fit to play, and with skipper Eoin Morgan’s dislocated finger back in its shape, he is available to lead the side.

Going by his expectation of the track, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid should get their spots, whereas, in Stokes’ absence, Sam Billings should pick himself at No. 6. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will both be available whereas Chris Woakes should be the other member of the three-pronged attack.

Predicted XI- Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid

Stat Attack

Aaron Finch (4882) needs 118 runs to reach 5000-run mark in ODIs.

Joe Root (5922) needs 78 runs to complete 6000 runs in the format.

Mitchell Marsh (47) needs 3 wickets to reach 50 scalps in ODIs.

Head to Head

Matches Played- 149 | Australia Won- 62 | England Won- 82 | Tie/NR/Abandoned- 5

Broadcast Details

Match Timings- 5:30 PM (IST), 1:00 PM (Local).

TV– Sony Six, Sony Six HD

Live Streaming– The match can be streamed online on Sony Liv and Airtel stream