England domination at Lords has set up a thrilling decider in the 5th ODI at Bristol. Can England complete a remarkable comeback? Or will Australia hold on to secure the series? Jack Tobin has you covered with his full preview below.
England vs Australia: 5th ODI Preview & Betting Tips
Bristol, Sunday 29th September, 8:00pm AEST
England
Squad: Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner
England produced a stunning all round performance to hand Australia a 186 run hiding at Lords. England were at their brutal best with the bat, scoring 5/312 in a rain affected 39 over innings, with Harry Brook (87 off 58) Liam Livingstone (62* off 27) and Ben Duckett (63 off 62) doing the bulk of the damage.
Matthew Potts continued his impressive series with the ball, taking 4/38 to knock over Australia for 126 inside of 25 overs. Brydon Carse (3/36), Jofra Archer (2/33) and Adil Rashid (1/11) made light work of the Australian batting unit, and they have been crucial in England’s turnaround in this series.
England’s batsmen have found the balance between risk and reward over the last two games, with their top order setting the platform for middle order destruction. Harry Brook’s 87 and 110* across the last two games has allowed for the lower order destruction that Liam Livingstone produced on Friday night.
Australia
Squad: Mitch Marsh, Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman (Reserve)
Australia were all at sea from start to finish, never looking to be in the game against a destructive English batting line up. Mitchell Starc (0/70, economy of 8.75), Sean Abbot (0/62, economy of 8.86), Adam Zampa (2/66, economy of 8.25) and Glenn Maxwell (1/30, economy of 10) were all taken apart by the English batters.
England made a clear point to target Zampa which created plenty of problems for Australia without having any experienced middle over bowlers to turn to. Cameron Green’s series ending back injury limited Australia’s options with the ball, which looms as a major concern heading into game five if Zampa doesn’t perform.
The only positive for Australia was the fast start that Travis Head (34 off 23) and Mitch Marsh (38 off 34) provided, having the Aussies at 0/68 in the eighth over before losing their final 10 wickets for 58. Josh Hazlewood was the only Australian who could maintain any control with the ball, taking 1/40 off 8 overs, the only Australian to concede under 6 an over.
Match Prediction
Momentum is clearly with England, and the mourning injury list for Australia’s bowling unit was exposed by England in game four. If England successfully go after Zampa, it’s going to be difficult for Australia to contain the hosts from tallying a massive score.
England have won the last three completed ODI’s at the County Ground in Bristol by margins of 6 wickets, 124 runs and 7 wickets. In those three matches England scored 359, 369 and 127 (in 20 overs) and given the form they’ve displayed with the bat across the last two games, they’re in prime position to produce a magnificent comeback to win the series.
Prop Bet
Although Harry Brook has come alive across the last two games, Ben Duckett has been England’s most consistent batter across the entirety of the series. Duckett has scored 198 runs at an average of 49.50 this series, with scores of 95, 32, 8 and 63. Duckett is full of confidence and will be setting himself for one final big score to guide England to a series victory.
Ben Duckett Top England Run Scorer
$4.50
