Ahmedabad, Nov 3 (FN Agency) Defending champions England need to win all of their three remaining matches to have any hope of reaching the semifinals, while Australia can put distance on the chasing pack with victory over their arch-rivals in a day-night encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Saturday. England have endured a horror campaign as they look to defend the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy that they famously won for the first time in 2019. The titleholders have slumped to five defeats in six matches to be all but out of contention for a spot in the semifinals ahead of what is always a mouth-watering clash between the heated rivals. England have to win all of their three remaining matches convincingly enough to also boost their net run rate to a reasonable level, while hoping that other results go their way to keep their faint hopes alive.
But form counts for little when the arch-rivals meet and England can like their chances against an Australia outfit suddenly hit hard by a freak injury and more personal concerns. Australia have won four on the trot to surge into third in the standings and the semi-final places, though will take on their old foes without dynamic duo Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh. Both will be missed though there will also be frustration with Maxwell after he sustained a concussion in a golf cart incident, while Marsh has returned home for personal reasons.It means another shake up for the Australia side that has recently accommodated the return of Travis Head, with all-rounders Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis both putting their hands up for a recall. England have their own concerns with fitness as well as form, and are yet to find an answer for replacing pacer Reece Topley who was one of their few strong performers but has now been ruled out of the tournament.
The defending champions have found it hard to pick up enough wickets to contain the opposition innings but Adil Rashid has stood up to claim their equal-most scalps. The England leg-spinner has eight wickets, tied with the injured Reece Topley for the most at this tournament, while also bowling at a decent economy rate of 5.14 runs an over. With Australia’s batting line-up looking more fragile without power-hitters Maxwell and Marsh, the 35-year-old could prove crucial to turning around England’s poor form with a stirring result near the end of their campaign. The five-time champions looked settled at the top of the order with Marsh and David Warner building form and big scores, but they suddenly look even stronger with the return of Travis Head.
The 29-year-old overcame injury to score a century on World Cup debut with a stunning 109 against New Zealand from only 67 balls. That imperious innings included seven sixes and 10 boundaries, as Australia increasingly looked likely to match the huge totals being put up by other contenders at this Cricket World Cup. SquadsEngland squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.