Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

ENG vs AUS 1st ODI Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs AUS 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs Australia 1st ODI Key Players | Old Trafford Manchester Pitch Report

Whenever Australia tours England, there always seems to be an endless supply of talking points. Whether it is England’s extraordinary record score in 2018, the World Cup and Ashes battles of 2019 or the tightly contested T20I series of 2020, you can be confident in predicting that more talking points are on the way in an ODI series that is part of the ODI league.

England, winners of the recent T20I series and champions of the 50-over format, have had quite the 50-over renaissance over the past five years. Led by Eoin Morgan, England continue to express themselves in white-ball cricket, culminating in a superb record against Australia since 2018, where they have won 10 of the last 12 ODIs against their greatest rivals. As attention turns to the ODIs, can England claim further bragging rights?

Australia left Southampton wondering how they didn’t win the T20I series. Now, they can focus on ODI cricket, as 2023 is high on the agenda for Finch and his men, after the Australian captain earlier admitted that their preparations for the 2019 World Cup could have been better. So, which players will stand up and be counted? Can the middle order, of whom is subject to many questions, deliver the goods against a quality side? We shall see.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• England are set to welcome back Jos Buttler, who missed the third T20I. Buttler has been in outstanding form of late, hitting 453 runs in his last seven knocks across Tests and T20Is, at 90.60.
• England also welcome back Jason Roy after a side strain. He had a poor recent series against Ireland (25 runs in three knocks), but has an excellent record vs Australia: average of 49.64, with three hundreds, including a record individual innings by an England player (180 at MCG in 2018).
• David Warner will play his first ODI in England since his superb World Cup campaign last year (647 runs, avg. 71.88).
• Aaron Finch (125) finished four runs behind leading run-scorer Dawid Malan in the T20I series. Also, Finch has an excellent ODI record vs England: 1,253 runs, avg. 50.12, SR 94.56.
• Surprisingly, Steve Smith and Joe Root have underwhelming records in England-Australia ODIs. Smith averages 33.23 in 30 matches, while Root averages 29.23 in 25. Can they deliver in this series?
• Eoin Morgan has the most runs out of any player in England vs Australia ODIs (1,864 runs, avg. 41.42, SR 91.82).
• Marnus Labuschagne has made a strong start to his ODI career (305 runs, avg. 50.83, SR 94.92), including a century at Potchefstroom earlier in 2020. He is working on his finishing to take his game to another level.
• Sam Billings saved England’s blushes in tricky run-chases vs Ireland recently, scoring 67* and 46*.
• Adil Rashid took the most wickets in the T20I series (six), and bowled beautifully. He will have a key role to play on a surface that is expected to have some turn, and loves playing against Australia (38 wickets in 21 ODIs).
• Mitchell Starc plays his first ODI in England since a record-breaking 2019 World Cup campaign (27 wickets). He and Pat Cummins will be crucial for Australia.
• As will Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for England. Both bowled with great pace in the recent T20Is, each taking three wickets in three matches.

Stats and Facts

• England and Australia have played 12 ODIs on this ground, with England leading 7-5. The latest win was a thrilling 1-wicket win in 2018, where Jos Buttler played a blinder (110* off 122 balls).
• Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow average more than 50 in ODIs on this ground. David Warner (154 runs in two knocks) and Aaron Finch (avg. 48.25 in five ODIs) also perform well at Manchester.
• Moeen Ali has the most wickets of any current bowler in Manchester ODIs (eight wickets in five ODIs, avg. 17.87). Adil Rashid is equal with him, averaging 25.50.
• Australia’s last completed ODI series was a 3-0 loss in South Africa. This was then followed by a win vs New Zealand at an empty SCG, with Mitchell Marsh winning player of the match.

Possible Playing 11

Jason Roy is set to return from a side strain, and it will be interesting to see if he fires right away. Eoin Morgan (dislocated finger) and Jos Buttler (family reasons) missed the third T20I, but should return here. Joe Root is also set to return after missing out on the T20I squad.

Also, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are expected to play their first ODI since the 2019 World Cup Final.

England: 1. Jason Roy, 2. Jonny Bairstow, 3. Joe Root, 4. Eoin Morgan (c), 5. Sam Billings, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7. Moeen Ali, 8. Chris Woakes, 9. Adil Rashid, 10. Mark Wood, 11. Jofra Archer

Australia have some key decisions to make, particularly in their middle order. Ashton Agar performed well in the T20I series (five wickets in three games), but his inclusion here could leave Australia short of firepower at the backend. So, for that reason, Glenn Maxwell may be preferred.

Australia: 1. David Warner, 2. Aaron Finch (c), 3. Steve Smith, 4. Marnus Labuschagne, 5. Mitchell Marsh, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Ashton Agar/Glenn Maxwell, 8. Pat Cummins, 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Josh Hazlewood

Old Trafford Manchester Pitch and Weather Report

Light cloud is expected throughout the day, with only a minimal chance of rain, according to the forecast.

In terms of the pitch, Eoin Morgan spoke about England working on their game on slower, turning tracks, which could be on offer in this match. “That’s very useful considering that’s both our weakest point, and it’s more than likely what we will play on in India in 2023,” said Morgan.

Dream11 Prediction

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Match Prediction

This has the makings for another closely-fought contest. Both sides have their strengths, but this could ultimately come down to the middle order performances of both sides. England, with Jos Buttler in great touch, have an edge in this area, and it will be interesting to see how the battle within a battle transpires.

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