Arch-rivals Australia and England will face each other in a high-octane three-game T20I series, starting on Sunday, October 9, before they head into the T20 World Cup. The squads for both teams have been announced, with England bringing back Stokes and Livingstone for this series.
On the other hand, Australia have announced two squads, one for the first T20 and the other for the last two games. The first game sees the omission of the pace battery of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, along with Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Matthew Wade, who come back for the remainder of the series.
Marcus Stoinis returns to the squad after being ruled out of the series against West Indies. These games are crucial for both teams as they have a few questions which require answers ahead of the marquee T20 event.
Jos Buttler’s fitness concerns loom large for England ahead of T20 World Cup
England captain Jos Buttler is enjoying sunny – but not hot – Perth. Says he’s 100% fit and wants Ben Stokes high up the batting order. Around 30k crowd expected for tomorrow’s Aus-Eng clash pic.twitter.com/KV48iCFTI1
— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) October 8, 2022
England will go into the series as a much more settled team, However, one of the major concerns for them is the fitness of their captain, Jos Buttler, who didn’t play a single game against Pakistan. Buttler at the top for England is crucial for them going into the T20 World Cup.
With the explosive starts he provides in the powerplay and the ability to play throughout the 20 overs, him being not fit will be a significant setback for the team’s plan for the showpiece event.
Another concern for England is Ben Stokes, who played the last T20I for England in March against India in Ahmedabad. England has usually tried him to play at No.5 and 6, but now the question arises whether they will play him as a floater alongside Liam Livingstone according to the situation.
The last and most crucial concern is the death bowling of the team, which cost them the game against New Zealand in the last World Cup. Mark Wood coming back into the team is a positive sign as he will boost their bowling lineup with his fiery pace and hit the deck bowling, which is suitable on such tracks.
Aaron Finch’s form a setback for Australia ahead of T20 World Cup
Australia themselves face several questions as they don’t have a settled playing combination. Mostly the concerns around the Australian team are concerning their player’s form, starting from the captain himself. Aaron Finch, one of Australia’s best T20I batsmen, has been battling a bad patch of form for quite some time. Even though he led the team to their first-ever T20 title yet, he hasn’t been able to contribute sufficiently with the bat.
Aaron Finch has averaged 46.50 in T20Is with a strike rate of 141.62 since March.#AUSvWI
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) October 5, 2022
Finch has been just striking at 122.98, which is unacceptable for an opener and a player of his calibre. The team has experimented with Finch playing in the middle order, but there hasn’t been any visible change.
Glenn Maxwell has scored a string of low scores since his last few games. His form will be crucial given that the hosts are looking to defend the title. He can single handily win a game for Australia on a given day. Hence, his form going into the tournament his form is a concern for the team.
As seen, both teams have their own set of concerns which they would like to get answers to in this series, but what can be promised in this series is some high-quality games between the two teams before they head into the world cup.
Australia vs England – Full squads
Australia squad for 1st T20I against England: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson.
Australia squad for the remaining two T20Is against England: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson.
England squad for the 3 T20Is against Australia: Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler, Philip Salt, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Schedule
Sunday, October 9
Australia vs England, 1st T20I, 1.10 pm
Wednesday, October 12
Australia vs England, 2nd T20I, 1.10 pm
Friday, October 14
Australia vs England, 3rd T20I, 1.10 pm
Live Streaming Details
All the matches will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network in India. It will be live-streamed on the Sony LIV app and website.
Written by Kunsh Khanna
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