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Australia start the favourites to win the Carlton tri-series when they take on England in the final at the WACA in Perth but it may not be as easy as it was in the round-robin round. You can follow the live blog of this final from 2.20pm AEDT.
It was an easy time for the hosts alright. Three wins out of three was followed by a washed out match that not only allowed them a less than circuitous path to the final but also allowed them to experiment with a few players in its lead-up.
Some of it was obviously brought about by the odd niggles and injury woes that the players invariably pick up after being involved for this long this summer, but those two early wins pushed the pressure-lid away.
Going into the final, Australia will welcome the return of Mitchell Johnson and his speed levels will be the second-most important thing to watch out, after obviously the result itself.
Johnson had decimated England last summer with his shock-and-awe approach but a combination of dead pitches and exhaustion rendered him reasonably flat against India in the Test series before this. He last played in the Boxing Day Test and a dodgy hamstring was the cause of his break since then.
He should return refreshed for this match and potentially for the next nine ODIs that Australia play.
David Warner and Josh Hazlewood returned to the side in the last match but did not get too much time before it started pelting down and they will hope to get back into full rhythm too.
With Aaron Finch having gotten himself a 96 and one other start, Steven Smith shown his customary form and Michael Clarke slowly and steadily getting back to his full fitness, the onus could just be on George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell here.
On the flip-side, that allow also allow the England quicks to pile on the pressure on the duo and that will be one of the battles to watch out.
Speaking of the English fast bowlers, it has been interesting to see them enjoy their time in Australia so far.
The previously unselectable Steven Finn and England’s best Test match bowler James Anderson have been the pick while Chris Woakes has given them reasonable support.
While Stuart Broad’s return to cricket after his surgery hasn’t been too much to his liking, he did scalp a couple of wickets against India last game which should do his confidence good.
England’s batting is lengthy enough but some of them in the top-order need to get some runs before the World Cup. Moeen Ali, for instance, has proven his worth with his innocuous-looking but highly effective offies but his batting is some way to go before he can be called a proven customer.
Ravi Bopara’s form is another concern, having scored just 93 runs from his last six digs at the crease.
On a positive note, James Taylor and Jos Buttler showed why they are rated so highly with their match-winning stand last game and Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell have already had a century each to their name.
The one interesting factor that could set up this match will be the pitch. On Friday, the WACA had the bounce which is usually associated with it, but there were some signs it could be playing lower on occasions too.
That being the case, it will be interesting to see what the captain winning the toss does – does he look to set up a solid target and hope the pitch will behave even more weirdly in the second half or will he look to chase a total in order to allow his batsmen the luxury of knowing how much they need to get and playing accordingly.
You can follow the live score of this final between Australia and England from 2.20 pm AEDT on Sunday and post your comments in the section below.
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