(Source Naidunia)
England, the defending champions, aim to revive their T20 World Cup journey with a stronger bowling performance against longtime rival Australia in Barbados on Saturday.
England’s opening match against Scotland ended in a draw due to rain after Scotland scored 90 without loss in 10 overs, resulting in both teams earning a point. However, this brief encounter highlighted England’s need to bolster their bowling attack.
Scotland’s George Munsey and Michael Jones capitalized on England’s bowlers, indicating the challenge Australia’s lineup presents. David Warner and Marcus Stoinis demonstrated their batting prowess in Australia’s tournament opener against Oman.
Jofra Archer, on his comeback journey, will be under scrutiny once again after conceding 12 runs in two overs against Scotland. However, England’s success relies not only on bowling but also on their batting unit led by skipper Jos Buttler, who performed well in IPL 2024.
Australia’s bowling proved formidable against Oman, even without Pat Cummins, who had a decent IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In the previous game, Nathan Ellis was preferred over Cummins, but Australia might opt to reintroduce their top pacer against a stronger opponent.
Australia’s batting appears stable, but the inconsistent performance of Glenn Maxwell remains a concern.
After a disappointing IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Maxwell suffered a first-ball dismissal against Oman.
The reigning champions hope to witness Maxwell’s resurgence soon, and facing England provides him with an ideal opportunity to reclaim his form.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.