Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
As the 2nd ODI kicks off in Cardiff, both teams will be keen to put in a better display than what we saw at The Oval. It’s safe to say England and Australia were not at their best, and with a game in the series complete, we could see more polished performances. Both teams need to improve a year out from the World Cup, and this series will continue to be an opportunity to get things right.
England bounced back from their shock loss to Scotland, but somewhat surprisingly, it was on the back of their bowlers. The seamers kept things relatively tight in the first ten, and then the spinners took charge. England could very well target Australia with spin again, but can their batting fare a little better? Are they able to play the situation a little more convincingly? It will be interesting to see if they can deliver an all-round performance at Cardiff, a ground where they have lost three of their last five ODIs.
It is no secret Australia have their issues against spin, but to let Moeen Ali dominate as he did (with all due respect to Moeen), is a big disappointment. Tim Paine delivered a nice gesture before the game with the handshakes, but it wasn’t an invitation for the top order to hand out niceties as well. No player in the top five reached 25, and while the bowlers did a great job in almost pulling off a miracle defence of 214, the batting must improve.
Key to an England win
If both teams are at their best, England win. They clearly have the better side on paper given Australia’s absentees, but their first ODI performance didn’t quite reflect that. It was a bit of a nervy chase, and if England are to translate their rise in limited overs cricket since 2015 into tangible success, more complete performances are required.
There is no doubt though that they would have been thrilled with their bowling effort. On the same day, New Zealand’s 17-year old Amelia Kerr hit 232* v Ireland, which was more than the whole Australia team could muster. Can England hammer Australia’s top order once again, exposing a longish tail?
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| Moeen Ali delivered in the 1st ODI |
Key to an Australia win
Despite a batting performance riddled with concern, the efforts of Glenn Maxwell and Ashton Agar would have been hugely encouraging. However, these two need to be provided with a proper platform instead of trying to rebuild an innings on life support.
The onus is on the top order to deliver a lot more, and one way of achieving is not surrendering so meekly to the likes of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
Also, Australia would be encouraged by the efforts of an attack missing Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins. The depth in the pace attack is a real strength for Australia, with Billy Stanlake and AJ Tye continuing on from their promising showings in the IPL. A repeat effort is needed.
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| Glenn Maxwell’s long wait for an ODI fifty ended at The Oval |
Predicted teams
England will most likely stick with the same team that won at The Oval, and would have been encouraged by the performances of the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Willey, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. A better team performance is required in Cardiff, though.
England XI: 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood
I don’t think Australia will go in with the same line up. I would bring D’Arcy Short in for a seam bowler because Australia’s batting looked short at The Oval. Kane Richardson could make way. Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head could fill in with some overs.
Australia XI: 1. Travis Head, 2. D’Arcy Short, 3. Shaun Marsh, 4. Aaron Finch, 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Glenn Maxwell, 7. Tim Paine (c & wk), 8. Ashton Agar, 9. Michael Neser, 10. Andrew Tye, 11. Billy Stanlake
Stats and Facts
- England have won five of six ODIs against Australia in 2018.
- Eoin Morgan needs 41 runs to become England’s all-time leading run scorer, overtaking Ian Bell.
- Adil Rashid needs two wickets to reach 100 ODI wickets.
- Australia have won just two of their last 14 completed ODIs.
- Glenn Maxwell’s fifty at The Oval was his first ODI fifty since January 2017.
Prediction
Who is your pick if both teams improve?
England for me. They have the experience and quality in their team to make it 2-0. Hopefully, Australia can put a good showing and make this series a really interesting one.
We’ll see.
