Match Details
Date: 28 October 2022
Time: 01:30 PM IST
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
England faced a shocking defeat against Ireland in their second game of the group stage. It was a massive upset for the title favourites at the T20 World Cup 2022. Although it was a rain-marred game, Ireland were up to the challenge against their neighbours. England will have to recover mentally from this loss as they have a strong team to face in the next game, Australia. The defending champions, meanwhile, made the necessary amends for their match against Sri Lanka. But it was not a complete performance. It will be interesting to see if the two teams will be able to live up to their reputation and put up a fight on Friday.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is one of the best surfaces in the world. The India-Pakistan game was the perfect example to prove that. While pacers will enjoy bowling with the new ball, batters will be able to hit through the line. Spinners will benefit from the bigger boundaries.
Team Analysis
England
England could not put a collective performance against Ireland as they lost the match by five runs (D/L method). With the ball, English bowlers could not provide early breakthroughs. Andrew Balbirnie stood in the middle of the things as the Ireland captain scored a half-century. Nevertheless, England bowlers pulled up their socks in the end overs as they bowled out the opposition for 157. Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone were the lead destroyers.
However, England lost the contest with the bat. Losing Jos Buttler and Alex Hales did not help them. Dawid Malan reinstated things for England but could not cope with the run rate. Eventually, rain interrupted and Ireland found them slightly ahead. Now, England will have to put this loss behind and put up a fight against Australia to stay alive in the competition.
SportsTiger Playing XI of England
Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Australia
Defending champions Australia did a terrific job to beat Sri Lanka by a fine margin after that loss to New Zealand in their opening fixture. But it was not a comprehensive performance, especially with the bat. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh failed yet again. Meanwhile, Aaron Finch struggled. Maxwell played a little cameo but could not capitalize on the start he got. Had it not been for Marcus Stoinis' remarkable innings (59* off 18 balls), Australia might be staring at the exit door already.
With the ball, Australia lacked a bit of discipline as they conceded 23 extra runs. Cummins once again looked out of touch as he leaked runs. Filling in for the fifth bowler was also not as expected. Stoinis, Maxwell, and Mitchell Marsh conceded 36 runs in those four overs. The defending champions will have to get their pieces in place if they are to beat England.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Australia
David Warner, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
Match Prediction
Conclusion
It is going to be an interesting game with both teams going at full throttle. However, England will have the psychological advantage having defeated Australia in the recent home series. So, the Jos Buttler-led side is expected to come out victorious on Friday.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.
