Trans-Tasman tri-series 2018, AUS vs ENG, 3rd T20I: Match Predictions

Australia and England will lock horns for the second time in four days in the ongoing T20 International tri-series down under. This match will also be the last one to be played in the country as the action will shift to New Zealand for the second half of the series. David Warner led side has been exceptional so far in the two matches they’ve played winning both of them rather comprehensively. However, England would love to register a victory in their last match of the long tour to Australia.

The match will also end the home summer of Australia and they would love to stay unbeaten in the shortest format of the game. The ploy of selectors to give the opportunity to the players performing well in the recently concluded Big bash league (BBL) has worked wonders for the team. They’ve so far defeated England and New Zealand and one more victory on Saturday will seal their place in the final. David Warner would love to win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and bid adieu to the home summer.

England have been impeccable in the limited overs on the tour but put on a lacklustre show in the last game. There were a lot of irresponsible strokes played by the batsmen and were trying to hit every ball out of the ground. Eoin Morgan and his men would be aware of the fact that another defeat would put their future in the tri-series in doldrums as New Zealand has played only one game. A win here would give them the confidence ahead of the stern Kiwi tour.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the MCG is expected to be flat with a lot of runs on offer for both the teams. However, the inclement weather in Melbourne could have an impact on the game. Hot and humid conditions with the chances of rain to intervene during the match has been predicted. The team winning the toss would prefer to chase the total hence.

Playing Combination

Australia

The momentum is growing for the home side and it is unlikely that they will change the winning combination. Though the skipper Warner would want to be amongst the runs after enduring a poor run in the last couple of matches. The likes of Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn have put their hands up whenever needed in the series. Even the bowling attack looks potent for Australia which has picked wickets of the opposition at regular intervals.

Probable XI: David Warner (c), D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Billy Stanlake

England

England struggled with the bat in the first game against spin but would want to guard against too many changes after just one loss. They might be tempted to bring in James Vince but there is no place for him at the top of the order. David Willey bowled extremely well the other day and will retain his place. Liam Plunkett is expected to be fit after missing the first game for his team and will replace Chris Jordan who missed his mark quite often while defending the middling total.

Probable XI: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Billings, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood

Here’s what we, at CricTracker predict will be the final result:

Probable top performers

David Warner (Australia) | Alex Hales (England)

Head to Head

Matches – 14 Australia – 8 England – 5 N/R – 1

Timings of the match: 01:50 PM IST

Broadcast Details

TV – Sony Six

Live streaming – SonyLIV

The prediction is for England to come back hard in the series and defeat Australia in a close contest.

For more cricket updates do follow the CricTracker website