The Toss Is Key
In the last match, Australia came out on top in Southampton, as they won by a comfortable margin of 28 runs. The two things that I took away from that match are that batting first is important. With the autumn dew kicking in, it makes things tougher for the batters and favours the bowlers much more.
Changes For England?
The other key point was the depth of England’s batting line-up. Apart from Liam Livingstone, no one was able to get themselves in and put a decent score together. It just seemed to be full of too many bowlers, with the likes of Jofra Archer batting at number eight. I think a couple of changes might be made for this match.
Sophia Gardens A Happy Hunting Ground
On a positive note for England, they should be happy playing at Sophia Gardens. Since 2010, they’ve only lost one T20 match at the ground. It’s a ground where runs can be had, and spin bowling tends to dominate. Therefore, that’s why I am looking at Adil Rashid to be England’s top wicket taker tonight. Rashid has been around the England white ball setup for a long time now. Though he only took one wicket in Southampton, he had the best economy rate of any bowler, and he was hard to score runs off. The 36-year-old has taken plenty of wickets at Sophia Gardens in the past, so he should be able to make his experience count. At 7/2, he’ll do it for me.
One More Chance For Cox
In my last preview, I put Jordan Cox to be England’s top run scorer, and I am going to give him one more chance again. In his first few balls, he appeared to be very nervous, but after that, he played a few shots, and it looked like he could achieve a respectable total. However, he played a silly shot, which got him out for a disappointing 17.
As mentioned last time, Cox had been part of several England squads but had yet to feature. He clearly is a good batsman who has a point to prove. I think he’ll have a cooler head tonight, and he’ll enjoy coming back to Sophia Gardens. Cox used to play for the Welsh Fire in T20 cricket, so he should know the pitch well. The 23-year-old is 9/2 to be England’s top run scorer in Cardiff tonight.
Overall, I think Australia will have a good chance to wrap up the series, but I expect a better performance from England, and I think it will be a close game.
England v Australia 2nd T20 selections
Adil Rashid To Be England’s Top Wicket Taker (7/2)
Jordan Cox To Be England’s Top Run Scorer (9/2)