Features

England face familiar foes

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 20/06/2010
Cricket betting

England and Australia lock horns in one-day international and Twenty20 action a matter of months before the Ashes series gets underway Down Under.

Five ODIs are followed by two T20 internationals, with Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood sharing the England captaincy in the shorter forms of the game.

The home side will go into the games on a high following a recent 2-0 Test series win over Bangladesh, while their victory at the World Twenty20 has finally laid the ghost of previous failures in international tournaments.

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Collingwood led the side to glory in the West Indies and some of the stars of that side will be hoping to be given a chance to shine in the 50-over format.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter is likely to be handed the chance to impress, but his T20 opening partner Michael Lumb is likely to miss out, with Strauss set to take his place at the top of the order for the ODIs.

Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright is another who will hope to be given the nod, with his ultimate aim still a Test call-up.

New fast-bowling star Steven Finn will not feature as he undertakes a strengthening programme, paving the way for Stuart Broad to return after a similar training regime.

The Baggy Greens also split their captaincy between Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, despite the latter struggling to impress in the Caribbean as his side lost in the final to England.

Their squad for the 50-over action has a relatively settled look to it, although wicketkeeper Brad Haddin misses out due to an elbow injury, handing Tim Paine another chance to shine.

The stylish 25-year-old right-hander made a century in an ODI against England less than a year ago and is hoping to use his latest call-up to try and put pressure on Haddin for a Test spot.

The Australian batting has plenty of power, with the likes of Shane Watson and Cameron White potentially destructive hitters, while under-rated all-rounder James Hopes often chips in with a vital contribution.

English audiences will also get a first chance to see young leg-spinner Steven Smith in action, with the 21-year-old having played just one ODI to date, but having shown an excellent temperament in 12 T20 outings.

Online betting outsiders England will need to improve greatly on their recent performances against their deadly rivals, having lost a seven-match ODI series 6-1 on home soil last September.

The most recent one-day international meeting of the two sides came in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in October, with the Baggy Greens romping to a nine-wicket victory with more than eight overs to spare.

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