🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 17: Australia vs England @ 10.30 PM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 17: Australia vs England at Barbados on 08/06/2024 @ 10.30 PM IST🏏

Two old rivals meet again on Saturday in Bridgetown, Barbados, as Australia take on England in Match 17 of Group B

There are only a few games that fans generally wait for, and one such game is set to take place on Saturday in Group B. This game will see a thrilling contest between England and Australia at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

Both teams have some of the world's best T20 players who have made the stakes of their matches very high. England are the defending champions, while Australia are the former champions. However, the pressure will be on England because their first game was washed out, and they need this win. Meanwhile, Australia registered a good win in their opening games and have two points.

Pitch Report and Conditions:

During recent clashes at this venue, the pitch exhibited a significant degree of complexity. However, the conditions were manageable during the daytime, as evidenced by Scotland's openers relishing their time against England. The forthcoming match will be a closely-fought affair, as the pitch is expected to be on the slower side, making it tough for batters.

Probable Playing XIs:

Australia

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

England

Jos Buttler(c/wk), Philip Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Probable Best Performers:

Probable Best Batter - Mitchell Marsh

As a captain of the Aussies, the star all-rounder enters the tournament with high confidence. Although he was unable to take on the Oman bowlers in the first match, he will be determined to face the English bowling attack and put them under pressure from the onset.

Probable Best Bowler - Mitchell Starc

Although the towering left-arm pacer did not start IPL 2024 on a high note, he found his stride towards the latter stages, demonstrating why he is so highly rated worldwide. At Barbados, he will be eager to challenge the English batters with his sheer speed and swing.

Australia to win the match

Scenario 1

Australia win the toss and opt to bat first.

Powerplay: 55-65

First Innings: 175-185

Australia win the match.

Scenario 2

England win the toss and opt to bat first.

Powerplay: 45-55

First Innings: 155-165

Australia win the match.

Big picture - Defending champions under the pump (again)

The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler's defending champions - who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy - against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that's before you throw in the Ashes for afters.

Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.

The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format - and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan - but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team's disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.

Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh, would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy - having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head-to-head record is less impressive in T20,however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.

Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean - not to mention those for games staged in the USA - have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the "slug-fest" England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.

Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours - and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh off an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England's campaign, as he did during last summer's Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it's almost time to rumble.

Australia WWWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

England WWLWW

In the spotlight - Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler

Since smashing 120 not out from 55 balls against West Indies in February, Glenn been on a truly shocking run. In 14 T20 innings for Australia and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he has scored 115 at an average of 8.21, with five ducks - his last two knocks have each lasted just one ball. His recent T20I record against England is no better, with five single-figure scores in six dating back to 2020. Australia won't be losing faith yet, though. "We know that Maxi's going to win us games," Marsh said in his pre-match press conference. Who would bet against him finding his touch on Saturday?

Jos Buttler led England to their second T20 title in his first major assignment after taking the reins from Eoin Morgan in the summer of 2022, but things have not gone quite so smoothly since then. Questions mounted about England's leadership - for both Buttler as captain and the coach, Matthew Mott - after their early exit at the 50-over World Cup, and Buttler has seemed increasingly tetchy in recent times when asked to address the team's failures. His batting form has been good, since working with Rajasthan Royals coach Sid Lahiri at the IPL, but England need a win.

Team news - Cummins back, but who sits out?

Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place - which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.

Australia (probable XI): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Josh Inglis (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.

England (probable XI): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley/Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

Four World Cup fixtures at Kensington Oval have produced markedly different results for batting: at one extreme, the tie between Oman and Namibia saw totals of 109 all out and 109 for 6; at the other, Scotland's charge to 90 for 0 from 10 overs between the showers against England. No team has scored more than Australia's 164 for 5 against Oman, however. This fixture, a day game, will be played on a new surface, said to be the best one on the square - though a slightly patchy forecast could give the teams another thing to contend with.

Stats and trivia

• England have a slight edge in the overall T20I head-to-head with Australia, winning 11 and losing 10 - a record which includes winning their last two T20 World Cup encounters, in 2010 and 2021.
• There have only ever been two 200-plus scores in 25 completed T20Is at Kensington Oval, both in the same match between England and West Indies in 2022.
• In scoring 56 against Oman, Warner overtook Aaron Finch as Australia's all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is.

Thanks for the tag 💙.

Will be a good match