England To Eliminate Australia At Edgbaston

England can eliminate their old enemy Australia from the ICC Champions Trophy by defeating the Baggy Greens in their clash at Edgbaston.

The Three Lions secured their place in the semi-finals of the competition following their comfortable win over New Zealand in Cardiff.

Eoin Morgan’s men surpassed the 300-run mark once again with the bat, with half centuries from Alex Hales, Joe Root and Jos Buttler leading the way.

England were grateful to Buttler’s late surge of 61 to guide them to a total which proved to be too much for the Black Caps to attain, despite the efforts of Kane Williamson.

The New Zealand skipper appeared to be on his way to his second century of the tournament, only for Mark Wood to dismiss him 13 runs shy of the milestone.

Williamson’s departure prompted a collapse in the Black Caps’ batting line-up, allowing Liam Plunkett to wrap up the tail and hand the Three Lions the victory.

Australia suffered a washout for the second game on the spin in the tournament after Bangladesh, with just four overs separating them from victory.

Steve Smith and David Warner appeared to be guiding the Aussies to victory before the rains came, although in their opener against New Zealand, the Baggy Greens were potentially saved from defeat by the elements.

They now face the task of having to beat the Three Lions, who are in dominant form, to advance to the last four of the tournament.

Australia have had a strong record against England in the past, but do have the distraction of their pay dispute with Cricket Australia hanging over their heads ahead of the contest.

England’s Top Batsman

Root has highlighted his class in the tournament thus far and is currently the second-highest run scorer behind only Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal.

The 26-year-old followed up his unbeaten century against the Tigers with a brisk innings of 64 against New Zealand – which was only ended by an uncharacteristically poor shot against Corey Anderson.

He would have been delighted with the pace of his knock, which included two big sixes off the bowling of Mitchell Santner.

Root has been accused of lacking the power strokeplay of his team-mates and his rivals around the world, but his displays thus far have proved that he is more than capable of matching them.

Comparisons will be made between Root and his opposite number at Test level Smith ahead of the Ashes later this year. The 26-year-old will be determined to get the upper hand on home soil – therefore backing him at odds of 4.00Bet €100 to win €4003/1Bet £100 to win £400+300Bet $100 to win $4003.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$4003.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp400-0.3333Bet RM100 to win RM400  with SkyBet is the option to take.

Hales and Buttler are in prime form and will certainly be eager to prove a point that they can handle the Aussie bowling attack ahead of the Ashes. Due to the power of the Baggy Greens’ batting unit, England will know that they will need to rack up the runs in the contest.

Both men were striking the ball incredibly well against New Zealand and will push Root all the way to lead the run column for the Three Lions at Edgbaston.

Australia’s Top Batsman

The Aussies have had a frustrating start to the tournament, with two washouts preventing them from completing either of their two matches.

The first appearance of rain against New Zealand may have saved them from defeat after being reduced to 53-3 when chasing 292 at Edgbaston.

However, they were robbed of a victory against Bangladesh with four overs being the difference between the win and a no result, with Warner and Smith well set at the crease.

As a result, it’s hard to judge how well Australia have played thus far with the bat, although Warner did look in good touch in the second contest against Bangladesh, scoring an unbeaten 40.

Warner has the talent to take the attack to the Three Lions’ bowlers, but he has struggled in English conditions in the past due to the early movement.

Morgan’s men will put the Aussies under pressure due to the depth of their batting line-up. Therefore they will need a large score to ensure that they avoid a premature exit from the competition.

Australia need Warner to fire and at odds of 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 Betfair, he provides good value for a punt. Smith will be desperate to push him all the way, but the intensity provided by the 30-year-old is what the Baggy Greens require.

Top Bowler

Mitchell Starc had a quiet start to the tournament against New Zealand on his return from injury, but he was at his devastating best against Bangladesh to pick up late strikes to take four wickets.

The 27-year-old was the driving force of Australia’s World Cup triumph in 2015 and has the ability to run through almost every batting line-up in the world at the peak of his powers.

Smith needs his primary bowler to shine as support has not been forthcoming from James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, while Josh Hazlewood has been expensive at times during his ODI career.

Adam Zampa’s form was impressive against Bangladesh, but the increase in quality against England’s potent batting unit could see him stifled at Edgbaston. Therefore Starc has to be the man to lead the charge for the Baggy Greens.

The Three Lions have a few aces up their sleeve even without the presence of Chris Woakes. Mark Wood turned the clash against New Zealand in his side’s favour by removing Williamson.

Should he remain on song against the Aussies and deliver the wickets of Smith and Warner – England will have gone a long way towards winning the match. Wood is good value to lead the wicket column at odds of 8.00Bet €100 to win €8007/1Bet £100 to win £800+700Bet $100 to win $8007.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$8007.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp800-0.1429Bet RM100 to win RM800  with 32Red, which is the best bet to take.

Winner

England have the opportunity to send their rivals and one of their main competitors for the ICC Champions Trophy out of the competition. Morgan and his team will be determined to triumph on a ground where they have had plenty of success against Australia in the past.

The Three Lions have enough men in form to catch the Aussies out – given their opponents’ lack of action due to the weather. Therefore backing England at odds of 1.90Bet €100 to win €1909/10Bet £100 to win £190-111Bet $100 to win $1900.90Bet HK$100 to win HK$190-1.11Bet Rp100 to win Rp1900.9000Bet RM100 to win RM190  with Paddy Power is the bet to take.

Tips Summary

England To Beat Australia ICC Champions Trophy Group A
Saturday June 10^th 10:30am BST
Odds: 1.90Bet €100 to win €1909/10Bet £100 to win £190-111Bet $100 to win $1900.90Bet HK$100 to win HK$190-1.11Bet Rp100 to win Rp1900.9000Bet RM100 to win RM190

Joe Root To Be England’s Top Batsman
Saturday June 10^th 10:30am BST
Odds: 4.00Bet €100 to win €4003/1Bet £100 to win £400+300Bet $100 to win $4003.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$4003.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp400-0.3333Bet RM100 to win RM400

David Warner To Be Australia’s Top Batsman
Saturday June 10^th 10:30am 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

Mark Wood To Be Top Bowler
Saturday June 10^th 10:30am BST
Odds: 8.00Bet €100 to win €8007/1Bet £100 to win £800+700Bet $100 to win $8007.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$8007.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp800-0.1429Bet RM100 to win RM800