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A cakewalk for the Aussies in the 1st Test as they managed to reclaim the Gabba fortress by defeating the English side by a dominating margin of 9 wickets. The second Test of the 5-match series is set to be played at the Adelaide Oval, starting this Thursday, and will only be the 17th Pink-ball Test match to be played.

It was the bowlers once again who again ensured the Aussies were on top, with their newly appointed skipper Pat Cummins leading from the front by picking up 5 wickets and 2 wickets in the first and second innings respectively. 

Australia were indeed struggling with the bat at one stage and looked like they might be bundled out for a score less than the 200-mark but thanks to all-rounder Travis Head, who played an extraordinary inning of 152 off 148 balls to give Aussies a cushion of 288 runs. 

This will be the fifth pink-ball Test encounter for England and it is safe to say that they have a poor record with this color as they have just managed to win 1 out of 4 matches. The Aussies are undefeated in the pink-ball encounter. Can the visitors play their skins out to hand Aussies their first-ever loss?

Match Toss Time: 09:00 IST (03:30 GMT)

Match Start Time: 09:30 IST (04:00 GMT)

Match Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Head to Head

Matches played: 352, Australia: 147, England: 110, Draw: 95

Weather conditions and pitch

AUS vs ENG weather and pitch

Team News

Australia will be without the services of their star pacer Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out of the second Test after suffering a side strain. He is likely to be back in time for the boxing day Test. Speedster Jhye Richardson looks like the likely replacement for the 30-year-old.

For the England side, we are certain to see James Anderson and Stuart Board come in replacing all-rounder Chris Woakes and Jack Leach. No change is expected in the batting department.

Probable Playing Xl

Australia (AUS): David Warner, Marcus Harris/ Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood/ Jhye Richardson

England (ENG): Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Stuart Board

Must-Picks

Australian all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne once again proved to be a great resource for the side and his average just keeps soaring. The 27- year old averages over 60 and is just 41 runs short of the 2000 run mark, and guess what? He will be playing just his 20th match. The English skipper Joe Root is also expected to be among the runs.

Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and English pacer James Anderson are our two other must-pick for this intriguing D/N clash.

AUS vs ENG fantasy team

AUS vs ENG fantasy team
Cricwizz fantasy team

Captain and VC picks

Marnus Labuschagne Joe Root AUS vs ENG fantasy team
Marnus Labuschagne (C) and Joe Root (Vc)

Prediction

The hosts are a great force when it comes to D/N Test as their 8-match winning streak echoes all around. Their pacers will be a force to reckon with and it would not be easy for the English batsmen to play them off in these conditions. 

England too have an elite pacer in the side and, intact, have the most successful pacer in Tests in their arsenal. However, will the English batsmen be able to coordinate with their bowlers? We feel Australia has an upper hand in this encounter.

Cricwizz predicts Australia to win the 2nd Test and lead the 5-match series, 2-0.

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