Australia rode their fresh wave of confidence to take an unassailable 2-0 lead over England in this three-game ODI series.
The visitors were closer to full strength in the second encounter, so expect them to inject even more talent for the final game as they look to leave Australia on a high.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
Australia vs England ODI Game 3 Preview & Betting Tips
MCG, Tuesday November 22nd, 2:20pm (AEDT)
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Luke Wood
Match Preview
Could we be set for another Steve Smith summer? It certainly looks likely - the Aussie star set a platform with 94 (114) in Game 2 after smashing a quickfire 80* in the opener.
Smith was central to Australia wrapping up the ODI series in Game 2, his 94 supported by a 58 (55) from Marnus Labuschagne and 50 (59) from Mitch Marsh as the hosts put 280 on the board.
The middling total proved to be too tall a task for England. Two wickets in the first over from Mitch Starc put the visitors on the back foot, before a middle order fightback from James Vince (60 off 72) and Sam Billings (71 off 80) was scuppered by new skipper Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.
Starc and Zampa took four wickets apiece in the 72-run victory, while Adil Rashid stymied Australia’s batting with three wickets of his own on return after sitting out in Game 1.
Heading into Game 3, Australia will be keen to put memories of the T20 World Cup to bed with a series clean sweep.
Momentum is on their side, and England don’t seem to have found a winning 50-over formula so far in this short series.
The hosts have an in-form Smith, talented middle order and world-class bowling attack so it’s hard to look past Australia, who are firing on all cylinders as the Aussie summer of cricket kicks into top gear.
Prop Bets
I’m going back to the well on this one. Rashid returned to the England line-up with three wickets in Sydney and he must love matching up against Australia’s slew of right-handers. Spinners tend to thrive on the large expanses of the MCG, and I expect things to be no different on Tuesday, with Rashid picking up two or more wickets.
Over 1.5 Wickets – Adil Rashid $1.73 (Ladbrokes)
England has failed to produce a solid opening stand in this series, with opening partnerships of 16 and 0. On the other hand, David Warner and Travis Head have looked comfortable together at the top of the order, combining for a 147-run stand in Game 1. I’m backing the left-handed duo to do the business again in Melbourne.
Highest Opening Partnership Handicap – Australia -7.5 $1.83 (Ladbrokes)
