England To Notch Second Win Over Australia
England edged out Australia in the opening one-day international of their series at The Oval, winning the contest by three wickets.
The Three Lions were on form with the ball, bowling out the tourists for 214 in their innings. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid put the squeeze on the Aussies in the middle overs, while Liam Plunkett wrapped up the tail with three strikes. Glenn Maxwell was the only Australian to pass fifty, scoring 62 in his defiant knock. However, it was a day when the Aussie batsmen were unable to find their rhythm.
England had issues chasing down the total as Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow failed to fire at the top of the innings. Eoin Morgan and Joe Root scored fifties to put the home side within sight of victory, but they lost their composure leaving the lower order with work to do to get over the line.
David Willey was able to drag England to the victory with a late flurry, ending the contest with a straight six. The Three Lions were far from their best with the bat, which will give Morgan and his team encouragement of a stronger performance in the second game of the series at Sophia Gardens.
England’s Top Batsman
Bairstow looked once again in imperious touch at the crease. He found the boundary with regularity in the early stages of the innings to score 28 runs without breaking out of first gear.
However, he picked out Travis Head on the rope off the bowling of Kane Richardson. His dismissal ended his run of consecutive centuries, although the Yorkshireman remains in peak form at the top of the innings.
The form of Jason Roy and Alex Hales will come under the spotlight. Due to the talent in the English game the duo cannot afford to struggle at the top of the innings for long periods. Both players have played integral parts in England’s success rising to be the number one side in the world. However, to remain there and win the World Cup next year, they need consistency at the top of the order.
Roy has been up-and-down throughout his career, but always seems to post a big score when put under pressure. Back him to get back to form at Sophia Gardens with an impressive knock alongside Bairstow at 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500 with Betway, leading the way for England.
Australia’s Top Batsman
The Aussies will have been extremely disappointed with the performance of their batsmen outside of Maxwell in the opener. There were far too many cheap dismissals, especially from experienced players such as Aaron Finch.
Without Steve Smith and David Warner, he has to take on a leadership role and their bulk of the runs at the top of the innings. Finch has been renowned for his striking ability, and although he can make his runs at a rate of knots, Australia need him to make big scores rather than brisk twenties and thirties.
Finch was outstanding in the series against England on home soil. He scored two hundreds and a fifty in his three innings, although he could not make the match-winning score at the top of the innings. Australia need him to set the tone and make the significant runs needed to get back into the series. Back Finch to find his form in England, with odds of 4.33Bet €100 to win €433333/100Bet £100 to win £433+333Bet $100 to win $4333.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$4333.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp433-0.3003Bet RM100 to win RM433 with Betway.
England’s Top Bowler
Ali was outstanding for England in the opener, claiming three wickets for the cost of just 43 runs. His figures would have been even better if not for a late dart from Maxwell in his final over. Ali came into the attack early in the innings and was able to make the inroads to stifle Australia’s progress. The 31-year-old provides useful overs for Morgan’s men and his role in the series takes on further importance due to the absence of Ben Stokes. Ali’s all-round ability gives England a quality batsman in the lower order and a more than useful spinner to partner with Adil Rashid.
The two have formed a solid tandem and complement each other extremely well. Rashid has become a world-class operator in limited-overs cricket, providing Morgan with a wicket-taking bowler and control.
He was not at his best against Scotland, but was able to bounce back in style against the Aussies. Rashid has a good average at Sophia Gardens, taking five wickets at 28.40. Back him to continue his good form at the venue by leading the wicket column at odds of 4.25Bet €100 to win €42513/4Bet £100 to win £425+325Bet $100 to win $4253.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$4253.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp425-0.3077Bet RM100 to win RM425 with Betway.
Australia’s Top Bowler
Without their key pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia needed one of their young promising pacemen to shine. Billy Stanlake provided a threat with the ball and put the England batsmen under pressure. He produced a brilliant delivery to remove Roy in the early stages of the innings, while he returned to dislodge Joe Root to set up a tense finale. Stanlake ended the match with figures of 2 for 44, and although he was a threat, the paceman did not provide the control at times his team needed to put England under immense strain.
Tim Paine needs more from Stanlake and he has the ability to produce for his team. Andrew Tye offered support with a savvy slower ball late in the innings, but he was operating against lower order. Stanlake has the pace and movement with the ball to cause issues at the important stage of the innings. Back him to lead the wicket column at odds of 4.25Bet €100 to win €42513/4Bet £100 to win £425+325Bet $100 to win $4253.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$4253.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp425-0.3077Bet RM100 to win RM425 with 888Sport.
Match Verdict
England were not at their best in the opener, but were still able to close out the win. Australia disappointed with the bat and they are capable of producing a response to put runs on the board.
However, the Three Lions’ unit played within themselves and were unusually sloppy with the mode of their dismissals – none more so than Bairstow. Back England to take a commanding position in the series with a comfortable win at Sophia Gardens at odds of 1.53Bet €100 to win €15353/100Bet £100 to win £153-189Bet $100 to win $1530.53Bet HK$100 to win HK$153-1.89Bet Rp100 to win Rp1530.5300Bet RM100 to win RM153 with Betway.
Tips Summary
Jason Roy To Be England’s Top Batsman
Saturday 16th June 2018 11:00 BST
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500
Aaron Finch To Be Australia’s Top Batsman
Saturday 16th June 2018 11:00 BST
Odds: 4.33Bet €100 to win €433333/100Bet £100 to win £433+333Bet $100 to win $4333.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$4333.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp433-0.3003Bet RM100 to win RM433
Adil Rashid To Be England’s Top Bowler
Saturday 16th June 2018 11:00 BST
Odds: 4.25Bet €100 to win €42513/4Bet £100 to win £425+325Bet $100 to win $4253.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$4253.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp425-0.3077Bet RM100 to win RM425
Billy Stanlake To Be Australia’s Top Bowler
Saturday 16th June 2018 11:00 BST
Odds: 4.25Bet €100 to win €42513/4Bet £100 to win £425+325Bet $100 to win $4253.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$4253.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp425-0.3077Bet RM100 to win RM425
England To Beat Australia 2nd ODI
Saturday 16th June 2018 11:00 BST
Odds: 1.53Bet €100 to win €15353/100Bet £100 to win £153-189Bet $100 to win $1530.53Bet HK$100 to win HK$153-1.89Bet Rp100 to win Rp1530.5300Bet RM100 to win RM153
- Australia
- cricket
- England
- Eoin Morgan
- Tim Paine