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After the thrilling T20I series between the hosts England and visitors Australia in which England won the series 2-1, the hosts now take on Australia in a 3-match ODI series. Though the T20I series was won by the English team, The momentum could be with the visitors as they managed to show glimpses of their true potential in the last match of the series to avoid a dominating white-wash by the hosts.

Leaving the series behind now, The five time World Cup winners will look to turn the tables in their favor against the 2019 World cup winners. There is no doubt the series will be a really close finish as both teams have world class players in their side, though English team will enjoy the home conditions, as we know the conditions are not that alien to the visitors as well.

The teams will be moving from Southampton to Manchester to play the ODI series. All the 3 ODIs are scheduled to take place in the Old Trafford Stadium as all the teams were recently advised by the ICC to restrict the travelling as much as possible and also follow the bio-bubble protocols strictly.

Pitch and Conditions

As we saw in the T20I series between England and Pakistan, the pitch is likely to be favoring the batsman and said that the track also offers some bounce for the bowlers. The weather forecast also has reported there could be few showers in between the game but not that strong to stop play. The overcast conditions could aid the pacers in swinging the ball.

Given that the match is a D/N encounter, the due is expected to play a vital role. The team winning the toss will definitely be looking forward to batting second.

Probable Playing Xl

With Ben Stokes still unavailable due to personal reasons. Chris Woakes could be given the green light. Jason Roy is likely to open the innings along with Bairstow at the top-order.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(C), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.

Australia did have some middle-order woes in the T20I series. They will look to strengthen that with the inclusion of Marnus Labuschagne into the team.

Australia: Aaron Finch(C), David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa.

Key Battles

 

1) Jonny Bairstow vs Mitchell Starc

Jonny Bairstow vs Mitchell Strac

Jonny Bairstow is in a very good touch going into the ODI series. He seldom showed any weakness in the last few matches he played and tends to dominate the bowlers with his attacking batting style. Though he was seen struggling a bit with the short of a length to good length deliveries of the Australian pacers. The 30-year old was finding it difficult to score runs of their bowling and was hacking the air at times. Mitchell starc if continues to be in the form he is, It would be a great challenge for the English opener to play him off.

2) Adil Rashid vs Glenn Maxwell

Adil Rashid vs Glenn Maxwell

Another likely challenge for Australia could be the exceptionally talented Adil Rashid. The leggie has some really good variations in his arsenal and could definitely trouble the visitors. The top three of Australia though are one of the best players of spin in the world currently and they could play off the leggie without costing their wicket to an extent.

Glenn Maxwell though is a good player of spin. But on various occasions we have seen how the 31-year old falls prey to the tossed up deliveries. He could yet again be the victim here especially with Rashid not afraid to toss up the deliveries more than the word often.

It could be a great battle to see both the players fight it out in one of the most awaited series post the pandemic lockdown.

Match Details

Match: England vs Australia, 1st ODI of 3- Match series

Venue: Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester

Date and time: 11 September 2020, 17:30 IST(13:00 Local)

Prediction

The visitors definitely are a highly capable team and would put a great fight against the hosts. If the Aussies can leave the T20I series defeat behind them and manage to start afresh. It would not be a surprise to see them start on a winning note.

Cricwizz Prediction: Australia to win the 1st ODI and lead the series 1-0.