Australia collapsed for the second time on this England tour as they lost the 2nd ODI by 24 runs at Old Trafford in Manchester. Australia snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as they lost a game that they should have won.
England won the toss and opted to bat first on what seemed like a slow wicket. Contributions from lower down the order helped England reach a decent total of 231-9 in their 50 overs.
Chasing 232, Australia was in a comfortable position as they were 144-2 at one stage but the England bowlers attacked the stumps and got some quick wickets which made it difficult for the Australian batsmen, and eventually, they fell short by 24 runs.
The series is well set now with both teams winning one game and the winner to be decided in the third ODI at the same venue. Both the teams will be geared up for the last game of the English summer. It will be a cracking contest when these two teams meet on Wednesday to play the decider.
Match Details
England vs Australia, 3rd ODI
16th September, 05:30 PM IST.
Old Trafford, Manchester
Pitch and Weather Prediction
The temperature might be warm throughout the match and the good news is that most probably the rain will stay away which will allow us to watch a good game of cricket.
The pitch has slowed down comparatively and the batsmen are finding it difficult to score quick runs. If the same pitch is used then we might see another low-scoring game. A score of around 250 would be a good one to defend.
Squads
England
Eoin Morgan (C), Joe Root, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Reserves: Dawid Malan, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood
Australia
Aaron Finch (C), Steve Smith, David Warner, Alex Carey (WK), Josh Philippe, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbot, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Riley Meredith, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa
Team News
England
Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, and Sam Curran were brilliant with the ball in the second innings as they turned the game completely. At one stage it seemed as if Australia will the game easily but these bowlers had different plans. Even in the first innings, it was the bowlers who helped England reach a decent total.
Tom Curran and Adil Rashid put up a very important partnership towards the end of the innings. The likes of Joe Root and Jos Buttler would like to score heavily in the third ODI to make an impact.
Most probably England won’t make any changes to their team but if they think there might be some spin in the wicket, then they might bring in Moeen Ali for a fast bowler.
Australia
Australia’s middle-order which got them out of trouble in the first game, collapsed heavily in the second game as they lost a game which they should have won. Australia needs some stability in the middle-order and they might think of getting in the reliable Steve Smith for the series decider.
David Warner is struggling in this series and would like to finish on a high note. The Australian bowlers were right on the money but they won’t be happy with their performance at the death as they leaked a few runs. Australia missed a chance of winning the series in the second ODI but they will be hoping that they win the series decider and end the tour on a high.
Fantasy Prediction
Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Josh Hazlewood, Adil Rashid
Captain: Aaron Finch, Vice-Captain: Jos Buttler
