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Down by a game after been whitewashed in the Ashes, England will hope for a change in fortunes when they take on Australia in the second ODI in Brisbane on Friday. Follow the action live from 2.20 pm AEDT.
The horrors of their tour spilled over to the limited-overs portion as well after England were easily brushed aside in the first game of the series and then had to send home Steven Finn to find his bowling rhythm back.
That makes it six defeats in a row on tour and three players who have had to leave the team – for varying reasons – which can hardly warm the hearts of the English fans.
There was a bit of a flicker of hope though. While there are definite problems at the top of the batting order, England would be happy to with a couple of things.
One, after their scratchy start at the MCG, they came back well to post a reasonably strong 269 in their 50 overs. Even better was the fact that there wasn’t much of over-reliance on any one batsman.
Then again, on another day, they would have probably run Australia a lot closer. They often say that you make your own luck but if ever the English team was unlucky it was while fielding in the opening ODI – edges and lobs didn’t go to hand, there was one that could have been given out and then there were some that were missed.
Secondly, England will be pleased with the way they played in the Prime Minister’s XI game.
Again, Alastair Cook and Joe Root were sent back early, but a concerted effort from the likes of Michael Carberry, Gary Ballance and Jos Buttler pulled the English side through to another excellent 264 in their 50 overs.
That they won against a reasonably strong PM’s XI was good news enough but to bowl them out for 92 would have given them a truckload of confidence. Especially after what’s gone around whole tour.
The question now is whether England can build on this and a lot will depend on what they have to face at the Gabba.
For one, it’s going to be the return of their tormentor-in-chief, Mitchell Johnson, who will have up to 60 chances to eke them out, or even worse, hurt them with the white cherry.
With all-rounder Shane Watson afforded a three-game break from the Australian selectors, it could lead to a bit of a rejig in the line-up, which England would look to exploit.
To do that though, they need to re-look at their top three as well. Alastair Cook’s form has seen a dip in Australia while Joe Root’s confidence seems to be going the same route and it may not be such a bad idea to look at Carberry as an option at the top of the order.
England could also bring in James Tredwell as a frontline spinner but a lot could depend on how the pitch looks in the morning.
Because the last time an ODI was played here, Australia were bowled out for 74, batting first, and Sri Lanka lost six wickets getting there. The match had lasted little less than 47 overs and not a single ball was bowled by a spinner.
Australia have a couple of options to try out. Shaun Marsh could come in for Watson at three, but that takes away a seamer from the line-up and puts a lot of load on Glenn Maxwell to bowl his quota of 10 overs.
The other alternative for Australia is to bring in Daniel Christian and push one of the batsmen to the number three spot. In that case, Christian could be used as a floater as a batsman, sent in depending on the situation.
Australia’s record at the Gabba over the last 10 games they have played here is a good one, they have won eight and lost only two. Can England push them to another one here?
Join me for the second ODI of the five-match series on Friday and you can follow the live score of this game from 2.20 pm AEDT and post your comments below.
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