Time: 1030, 10/06/2017
Venue: Edgbaston
Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign has been dogged by bad weather, but they can still reach the semi-finals by beating England at Edgbaston on Saturday.
The Three Lions are already through to the last four following convincing victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, but that could make them worth opposing here.
Standards slipped in the third ODI against South Africa after the series had been won and any similar slip in concentration in Birmingham will be pounced upon by the Aussies.
David Warner’s side can be backed at 9/10 to prevail and get the nod in our England vs Australia betting tips.
Warner has been critical of Cricket Australia in the build-up to this game, with an ongoing row over pay escalating, but that won’t affect his determination to progress.
“We have an important game coming up this week,” he declared. “That is our focus, and the MoU can wait.”
Warner is currently No 2 in the official ODI batsmen rankings and enjoyed an outstanding IPL season, topping the runs chart with 641 in 14 matches, 143 more than second-placed Gautam Gambhir, who had two extra games.
Steve Smith finished fourth in that list, so their big guns are in good nick and full of confidence, despite the lack of action at this tournament.
In the bowling department, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both figure in the top five in the world on current rankings and the whole attack should, in theory, be suited by English conditions.
England have been a revelation in this format under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, with the captain turning things around dramatically since a shambolic 2015 World Cup.
“People have taken his lead, and I think that’s why the team has flourished,” said assistant coach Paul Farbrace.
“He’s been a fantastic leader for this team, absolutely the right bloke for it – the way he’s played has really enabled everyone else to follow suit.”
Morgan’s all-out attacking approach can backfire if there is any slight lapse in focus, though, and England could be forgiven for already having one eye on the semis here.
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