A Travis Head masterclass led an undermanned Australia to a convincing victory in game one. As the series heads to Leeds, can England bounce back? Or will Australia continue their red hot form in one day cricket? Jack Tobin has you covered with a full preview, best bet, and prop bet for the match below!
England vs Australia: 2nd ODI Preview & Betting Tips
Leeds, Saturday 21st September, 8:00pm AEST
England
Squad: Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner
After winning the toss and batting first at Trent Bridge, England’s top order laid the foundation for a massive total. England were 1/168 and 2/213, as Ben Duckett (95 off 91), Will Jacks (62 off 56) and Harry Brook (39 off 31) had England set to score 350 plus.
However England were strangled by Australia’s spin with Adam Zampa (3/49), Marnus Labuschagne (3/39) and Travis Head (2/34) putting on the brakes as England were bowled out for 315. Youngster Jacob Bethell showed plenty of promise on debut with 35 off 34 and 1/20 with the ball.
For all the positives with the bat, once again England were terrible with the ball, an issue that has plagued them in white ball cricket post the 2019 World Cup. Jofra Archer (0/53 off 6), Brydon Carse (0/42 off 5) and Liam Livingstone (1/75 off 9) all went at more than 8 an over. Adil Rashid was the only Englishman to bowl his full complement of overs with a respectable 0/59.
Australia
Squad: Mitch Marsh, Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman (Reserve)
Illness ran through the Australian camp which caused Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis to miss the opening game of the series. Adam Zampa and debutant Ben Dwarshuis were the only front line bowlers in the side, and Dwarshuis was forced from the field with a pectoral strain after bowling four overs.
After a hot start by England’s top order, Marnus Labuschagne opened the door for Australia by taking the wickets of Duckett and Brook, which allowed Adam Zampa to put the clamps on England’s middle order. Zampa’s 3/49 off 10 was the most economical spell of any bowler who bowled more than six overs in the match. Aaron Hardie did an excellent job with the new ball, with figures of 0/27 off 6 overs.
Travis Head was once again at his brutal best, smashing England to all parts to score a match winning 154 not out off just 129 deliveries. With no Maxwell in the side, the batting order on paper didn’t look incredibly dynamic with Steve Smith, Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne batting 3, 4, and 5. However they all scored over 30 runs and all went at strike rates at better than a run a ball. Labuschagne (77* off 61) batted brilliantly in partnership with Head to guide Australia to the target of 316 with six overs to spare.
Match Prediction
Australia should get Hazlewood, Starc, Maxwell and Inglis into the side for this clash which will provide massive upside for their bowling attack, as well as what Maxwell and Inglis can bring to the middle order. With Headingley being a little bit more of a regulation shaped cricket ground in comparison to Trent Bridge, both bowling attacks will feel they have a better chance of restricting opposing batsmen.
Australia know that if they can nullify Adil Rashid’s ten overs in the manner that they did on Thursday, England are going to struggle to contain the power that Australia has in the batting unit. The world champions have won thirteen straight ODI’s and are firing on all cylinders, while England are still trying to establish an identity after struggling in white ball cricket over the last two years. With a stronger side in for game two, Australia will move to a 2-0 lead in the series.
Australia
$1.58 (1.5 Units)
Prop Bet
After being out of the ODI side for four years, Travis Head’s last three years in one day cricket has been outrageously good. Since 2022 Head has scored 1278 runs at an average of 63.9, with a strike rate of 121.48. He also loves playing against England, having scored 800 runs at an average of 61.54 with a strike rate of 107.38 in ODI’s against the Poms.
Travis Head Top Australian Run Scorer
$3.80
