Australia Are Strong Favourites
Going into the match Australia are odds-on favourites at 8/15 to get off to a winning start, while England are the 6/4 outsiders. That is probably about right, as the last time these two teams met in this format, the Aussies won by 36 runs at the T20 World Cup in June.
New Look Squads
For this T20 Series, England have got a slightly different look to their squad. The main talking point is the absence of Jos Buttler as captain, as he’s on the sidelines due to injury. That means Phil Salt will come in to deputise.
Australia is also missing a couple of their big names. Pat Cummins is taking a break for this series, so Mitchell Marsh will captain the side. There is also no David Warner, as he’s now retired from international cricket. Since he made the decision, Jake Fraser-McGurk has come in to take his place at the top of the order, and it looks like he will be asked to open for Australia again in this series.
When it comes to this match, it will be interesting to see who England select, as the likes of Dan Mousley and Jacob Bethell could make their debuts. Josh Hull could also come in for his first start for England in white-ball cricket after he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka last week. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was given a short rest and comes in for the other two matches.
Cox Ready To Take His Chance
One player who is likely to make their T20 debut for England is batsman Jordan Cox. Cox has been on the fringes of the England squad over the past eighteen months but is yet to start. The 23-year-old has shown ability in all forms of cricket, but he has shown his best cricket playing T20. Moreover, he comes into this match in good form, after he scored 141 in a first-class match on this ground for Essex last month. With his experience of getting runs at the Utilita, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was England’s top run scorer.
Spin The Key At The Utilita
England look to have a lot of bowling options for this match, so I am looking to see who will be the Australia’s top wicket taker. Therefore, the one I am looking at is Adam Zampa, who is Australia’s record wicket taker in T20 cricket. He is a spin bowler who was their leading wicket-taker when he played in a T20 match here in 2020. The Utilita Bowl usually favours spinners, so I think it’s a trend we have to keep on side. Zampa is currently 3/1 to be Australia’s top wicket taker in this game.
The weather forecast looks like it’s going to be dry on Wednesday night, so hopefully we’ll get an uninterrupted game.
England v Australia 1st T20 Selections
Jordan Cox To Be England’s Top Run Scorer (9/2)
Adam Zampa To Be Australia’s Top Wicket Taker (3/1)
