The winner of the ODI series between Australia and England might have already been deceided, but the two teams will still be playing for pride as well as international rankings points which could be crucial as the 2019 World Cup is now only one year away.
England took out the first three games in very comfortable fashion to wrap up the series, which will now move to Adelaide Oval for the 4th match this Friday, the 26th of January from 2.20pm. With the match being on Australia Day, it should give the Aussies even more incentive to fight hard for a win, as the home side will likely make some changes for the last two games of the series.
In form Aussie opener Aaron Finch will miss the Adelaide clash with a minor hamstring strain, which will most likely see the return of South Australian Travis Head to the lineup. Head was dropped for the third game in Sydney in favour of an extra bowler, but should return and open the batting with David Warner in Adelaide.
The first choice three-pronged pace attack of Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were all back in the side for the must win 3rd match in Sydney, but with the series now decided, it’s likely that at minimum, one of the three will get a rest for the Adelaide ODI. Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson wait in the wings in what should be a like for like swap.
It’s been smooth sailing for the English so far this series, not only have they won all three games comfortably, but they haven’t needed to make a single change to their line-up. Their top six of Jason Roy, Johnny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler has been extremely impressive, and looks set to carry out the rest of the series.
Abdil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett have also done a fantastic job with the ball. The spinners should remain in the side but some rest might be given to the quicks with the likes of Jake Ball and Tom Curran waiting in the wings.
After tipping them as underdogs in all three games so far and winning, it’s hard to believe that England aren’t favourites for the Adelaide game. Their top six has been batting as well as any ODI batting line-up in the world at the moment. The aggressive nature of the likes of Roy, Hales and Bairstow at the top allows them to get off to great starts in the power play before the level heads of Root and Morgan guide them through the middle overs at a run per ball.
The Adelaide Oval is renowned for being the best batting pitch in the world, which should only play into the hands of England’s aggressive style. With the way they are playing at the moment we are extremely happy that England are still underdogs here, and feel comfortable taking the value here.
TIP: England to win - $1.95 at Sportsbet
It’s not as if Australia has been terrible this series. They have scored 304, 270 and 286 in the three games, which are three competitive ODI scores. However, we think England are probably a few years ahead of the game in ODI, and a score of 300 doesn’t faze the English. Aaron Finch has been the rock for the Aussies at the top of the line-up, but with him out for this match, a lot of the pressure will fall upon David Warner, we are picking him to have a bounce back performance here.
TIP: David Warner highest Australian run scorer - $3.75 at Sportsbet
Always Gamble Responsibly.
