It will be a clash of the heavyweights when England takes on a rampaging Australia in a World Cup 2019 fixture at Lord’s on Tuesday.
After a streak of wins, the host slipped against Sri Lanka in Leeds last week, leaving the tournament wide open. The Eoin Morgan-led side, with three crucial games coming its way, will seek resurgence against the Aussies to move closer to a semifinal spot.
England will hope to shore up its batting, which fell short when put under pressure by both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. While, the top-order batsmen -- Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Morgan -- have provided steady starts, the unavailability of injured Jason Roy has been a concern.
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Roy, who tore his hamstring during the match against the West Indies, has been ruled out of Tuesday’s fixture. “Jason went for a scan this morning. He won’t be fit for tomorrow. We will monitor his progress during the week and assess him then as that unfolds,” Morgan said.
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It needs to be seen how the English batsmen tackle the in-form Mitchell Starc -- the joint-leading wicket-taker at the World Cup, with a tally of 15.
With five wins in six games, Australia is placed second in the table. Its openers David Warner (447 runs in six innings) and Aaron Finch (396 in six innings) are in fine form. However, it could be a challenge for a rather shaky middle-order -- which has failed to contribute in the last three games -- to up its ante, against a star-studded England pace attack, comprising Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer.
The return of Marcus Stoinis from a side strain has been a boost; the all-rounder proving his worth with figures of two for 54 in the previous game against Bangladesh.
England, though, has an edge over the defending champion on paper, winning nine of the last ten meetings. With predictions of thundershowers, toss could prove to be crucial.
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