ODI World Cup 2023: Predicting England’s Playing XI for their clash against Australia

England is set to face an in-form Australia in their upcoming match in the ODI World Cup 2023. The two teams have had contrasting journeys in the ongoing tournament. England won 1 out of their first 2 games and looked for a long tournament ahead of them. On the other hand, Australia lost both its games against India and South Africa and had a lot to play for after the initial blip. Since then, England has lost all its 4 matches. Australia, on the other hand, has won all its 4 matches since then. 

England has a lot to worry about their team combinations. Their batters are totally out of touch and aren’t contributing enough to the team’s total. Their underperformance in the tournament till now has meant that England’s chances have been bad. In their last 4 matches, England has failed to reach a total of 200 or more runs in all the 4 instances. These worrying signs might ask for some changes from England.

Here’s the likely England’s Playing XI against Australia for the ODI World Cup2023:

Top order – Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, and Joe Root

England is likely to open with Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan. The right-left combination is good to have. Both are aggressive in nature. While the two have not fired as well as England would have liked, they are still the best options at the top, given the nature of England’s squad. Bairstow might come good in Ahmedabad given how good the ball comes on to the bat early in the innings with minimal swing. Seam bowlers will enjoy bowling in Ahmedabad.

At number 3, England is likely to continue with Joe Root. The star batter was very good in the first two matches and has been totally out of sorts since then. England would like him to anchor their innings, so that others could bat around him. With the nature of England’s batting in the last 4 games, they would like to see Root anchoring their innings. It would allow other batters to play in their aggressive way at the top. 

Middle order – Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Liam Livingstone

England is likely to bring Harry Brook back in the side. In Ahmedabad, England might not need Moeen Ali. The Southpaw has not been in great form with the bat and does not offer much with the ball. Hence, England might prefer their young batter in the XI. Ben Stokes might bat at 5 for England against Australia. The experienced batter can act as a perfect bridge between the top 4 and the All-rounders. His form with the bat is necessary for England.

Jos Buttler will continue at number 6. The experienced batter will also lead England and take the responsibility of keeping the wickets. With his aggressive nature, Buttler is best suited to finish the innings for England. Liam Livingstone will act as the All-rounder in the side. The right handed batter can bat aggressively and provide brilliant finishes. With the ball, he can spin the ball either ways, as an off spinner and as a leg spinner. 

Bowlers – Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood

Chris Woakes will be backed by England despite his bad form. The experienced bowler can swing the ball early on and pick wickets. To get the in-form batters like Travis Head and David Warner early in the innings, Woakes will be crucial in England’s attack. To partner him with the new ball will be David Willey. The left-arm pacer can swing the ball in accurate lines. If necessary, Willey can be handy in the middle overs and at the death as well. 

England will play Adil Rashid as their main spinner. The leg spinner has been their best bowler in the tournament. In the middle overs, Rashid will be crucial to provide wickets. He can act as the first change bowler, if England look at giving longer spells to the duo of Woakes and Willey. That would allow Wood to bowl at full throttle in the middle overs. He will be crucial at the death. Livingstone can share the workload in the middle overs with his spin bowling.

Here is their playing XI for the match against Australia:

Jonny Bairstow

Dawid Malan

Joe Root

Harry Brook

Ben Stokes

Jos Buttler (C & WK)

Liam Livingstone

Chris Woakes

David Willey

Adil Rashid

Mark Wood

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