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by IANS |
London, June 24 (IANS) After suffering a shock defeat against Sri Lanka, England will look to return to winning ways and take one step closer towards the semi-finals when they face arch-rivals Australia in their crucial World Cup game at the iconic Lord's on Tuesday.
With four wins from six games, England are currently at the fourth spot in the points table. The hosts, who came into the tournament as overwhelming favourites, are in a bit of a tight situation as they need to win at least two of their remaining three games to enter the last four.
However, it would not be an easy task for them, especially considering they have to face India and New Zealand after their Australia game. England's record against all the three teams is not great as they have not been able to register a single World Cup win against Australia, India and New Zealand in the last 27 years.
Thus, the pressure will surely be on Eoin Morgan and team to come out with a fearless brand of cricket which they have playing in the last two years. To add to their woes is the unavailability of Jason Roy, who has been sidelined due to hamstring injury.
Australia, on the other hand, have been quite formidable in their performances so far. They have won five out of their six games and are currently placed at the second position in the points table. The batsmen, especially their openers, have been in top form and have scored runs in bulk. Their bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc, have been able to pick wickets at crucial junctures of the games.
The availability of Marcus Stoinis has also provided them with the much-needed balance. All in all, Australia have played the reigning champions and will surely look to correct their recent form against England.
The mighty Aussies have lost nine out of the last 10 games played against England.
With the stakes high for England, and Australia looking to continue their dominance, fans can be rest assured of an exciting contest at the Home of Cricket.
Squads: England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon
