We have reached the final quarter of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and in match 36 of 48, we will see old foes England and Australia square off at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat on Saturday morning.
The Three Lions face elimination from the tournament this week if results elsewhere do not go in their favour, and their fate will definitely be confirmed if they are unable to secure victory against the Baggy Greens.
Match preview
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There is no denying that England's defence of their ICC ODI World Cup title has been hugely disappointing, with just one win in six games and notable humiliating defeats, including a 100-run loss to India in their latest outing.
Despite entering the tournament as one of the favourites to defend their crown, England's aggressive, all-out attacking strategy, which had previously been successful worldwide, has faltered on the pitches here in India.
As a result, they currently sit at the foot of the points table with just one win in the competition, which came over Bangladesh back in match seven, while they also have the worst net run rate of any side, currently at -1.652.
Still, England cannot throw in the towel just yet, as the points earned here will contribute to the Champions Trophy qualification table, and losing their remaining matches could jeopardize their chances of qualifying for the tournament to be hosted by Pakistan.
However, Australia will love nothing more than to take the opportunity to dethrone England as Cricket World Cup holders in the clash in Ahmedabad after denying them the coveted Ashes urn earlier this year.
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Meanwhile, Pat Cummins's team come into this encounter following four consecutive wins, with the most recent being a tense five-run victory over New Zealand, which moved them even closer to a spot in the semi-finals.
In the match against the Black Caps, numerous records were shattered, including Australia's total of 388, which became the highest by any team against New Zealand in an ODI World Cup, surpassing their previous record of 348/6 in 2007.
Furthermore, the total runs scored in the match in Dharamsala is now the highest aggregate for a men's ODI World Cup game, surpassing the 754 runs recorded during the South Africa versus Sri Lanka match in Delhi earlier in this competition.
The five-time world champions will still need to improve on that performance, though, as their batting lineup excelled against New Zealand, but their bowling unit conceded far too many runs, allowing the Kiwis to stay in the game.
The Baggy Greens also claimed victories over Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Netherlands in the three preceding matches, with their two losses in the competition coming against India and South Africa back in weeks one and two.
Team News
Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow have made several promising starts in this tournament, but the team requires a substantial opening-wicket partnership from them, which has yet to materialize.
The middle order has been consistently disappointing in recent games despite featuring the experienced trio of Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes, which could lead to a reshuffle in the batting order, possibly pushing Moeen Ali further up as they did to good effect in the Ashes.
David Warner is in impressive form at the moment and will look to provide another strong start alongside Travis Head, building on their 175-run partnership in the last game, while Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will provide more firepower in the middle order.
Mitchell Starc experienced his first wicketless outing in his 24-match ODI World Cup career against New Zealand last week but will be eager to seize the chance with the new ball against a vulnerable English batting order.
England 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
Series so far
England
Match One: England lost by 9 wickets
England - 282/9 (50)
New Zealand - 283/1 (36.2)
Match Two: England won by 137 runs
England - 364/9 (50)
Bangladesh - 227 (48.2)
Match Three: England lost by 69 runs
Afghanistan - 284 (49.5)
England - 215 (40.3)
Match Four: England lost by 229 runs
South Africa - 399/7 (50)
England - 170 (22)
Match Five: England lost by 8 wickets
England - 156 (33.2)
Sri Lanka - 160/2 (25.4)
Match Six: England lost by 100 runs
India - 229/9 (50)
England - 129 (34.5)
Australia
Match one: Australia lost by 6 wickets
Australia - 199 (49.3)
India - 201/4 (41.2)
Match Two: Australia lost by 134 runs
South Africa - 311/7 (50)
Australia - 177 (40.5)
Match Three: Australia won by 5 wickets
Sri Lanka - 209 (43.3)
Australia - 215/5 (35.2)
Match Four: Australia won by 62 runs
Australia - 367/9 (50)
Pakistan - 305 (45.2)
Match Five: Australia won by 309 runs
Australia - 399/8 (50)
Netherlands - 90 (21)
Match Six: Australia won by 5 runs
Australia - 388 (49.2)
New Zealand - 383/9 (50)
We say: Australia to win
England is currently lacking both form and confidence, with their usually formidable batting lineup experiencing a huge downturn in this tournament, which does not bode well for their chances in this match.
On the other hand, the Australian batsmen are in outstanding form, entering the game with four consecutive victories, and we feel that they will bring England's title defence to an end in this one.
