ENG vs AUS 1st Match Prediction

ENG vs AUS Team Previews

England

After a disappointing campaign at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, England will hope to make a fresh start as it plays its first T20I after a gap of two and a half months.

There have been quite a few changes made to the squad that traveled to the USA and the West Indies. Johnny Bairstow, Chris Jordan, and Moeen Ali have been dropped, while Jos Buttler, who led the team during the event, is recovering from an injury.

This means that the reins of the team have been handed over to Phil Salt. The hosts have included 5 uncapped players in the squad, including Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley, John Turner, Josh Hull, and Jacob Bethell, rewarding them for consistent performances in the domestic circuit.

Jamie Overton will feature in the mix as well, but most probably as a batsman, rather than an all-rounder. Jofra Archer will lead the pace attack and will be joined by Reece Topley while Adil Rashid is likely to feature as the sole specialist spinner. 

This can be seen as a changing of the guard for England's white-ball team. Not only do they have a young squad but also a new coach in Brendon McCullum. Also, while the players are new to international cricket, they play a ton of  high-quality T20 cricket in England. 

Expect this England team to be very competitive. 

Australia

Australia put up a comprehensive performance against Scotland and hardly broke a sweat as they defeated in all 3 T20 games. However, England is a formidable opponent and the visitors will need to be at the top of their game right from the word go.

Jake Fraser-McGurk and Travis Head will open the batting yet again in this match. While they have been playing well individually, the duo will need to put up a good partnership during the PowerPlay. McGurk has found his initial time in the international arena a bit tough but he might enjoy the batting featherbeds in England a lot more.

Josh Inglis is likely to retain his spot as a wicketkeeper-batter, thanks to a brilliant century he scored last week. Australia's biggest strength however is the plethora of quality all-rounders they possess. Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Aaron Hardie are all capable of turning the tide with the bat as well as the ball.

Australia’s seam attack will receive a big fillip thanks to Josh Hazlewood's return. However, Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the series due to an injury. This means that Hazlewood could be joined by Xavier Bartlett in the pace department. Adam Zampa and Marsh are likely to be the two slower bowlers.

Australia is always tough to beat but it has not always found a way to win consistently in T20 cricket. If Travis Head and Adam Zampa have a good series, we think they could find a way to change that.