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England vs Australia, T20 World Cup: Key player battles ahead of much-awaited clash in Group 1
Arch-rivals England and Australia – the two most consistent sides in Group 1 so far – will meet in the 2021 T20 World Cup game on Saturday.
Arch-rivals England and Australia meet for a place at the top of Group 1 in the 2021 T20 World Cup on Saturday. Both sides are yet to concede a defeat in the tournament, producing dominant performances in both of their opening games so far.
While England crushed defending champions West Indies, bowling them out on merely 55 in their first game of the edition before cruising past Bangladesh in the next, Australia secured comprehensive wins over South Africa and Sri Lanka respectively.
More importantly, the Australians received a significant boost in their victory over Sri Lanka as opener David Warner found himself amongst runs after a torrid time with the bat throughout the second edition of the 2021 Indian Premier League. The left-handed Warner scored an important half-century in the low-scoring run-chase.
There will be a lot riding on the game as the winner will all but assure a place in the semi-final of the edition. As the two giants clash in Dubai, let’s take a look at some of the key player battles ahead of the game:
Eoin Morgan vs Glenn Maxwell
Morgan may have displayed exemplary captaincy skills in the shortest format over the past month – taking Kolkata Knight Riders to the final of IPL 2021 and steering England to dominant wins in their first two matches – but his form with the bat remains a concern for the team.
Morgan’s extended struggles make him vulnerable against a well-oiled Aussie bowling attack; and Glenn Maxwell in particular. Incidentally, Maxwell is also the bowler Morgan usually prefers to target, which makes for an exciting match-up.
The England captain has fallen thrice to Maxwell over 6 innings across T20Is, while scoring at an impressive batting strike rate of 161.53 (42 runs in 26 deliveries) against the all-rounder.
| Players | Innings | Wickets | Runs scored | Strike-Rate |
| Eoin Morgan vs Glenn Maxwell | 6 | 3 | 42 | 161.53 |
Jason Roy vs Kane Richardson
Richardson may have not played in this edition so far, but the bowler enjoys an excellent record against some of England’s most aggressive batters.
Jason Roy, who scored a well-paced half-century in England’s victory over Bangladesh, has struggled against Richardson, getting out twice to him in three innings.
Richardson has also kept the current World No.1 T20I batter Dawid Malan quiet, conceding only 15 runs against him in five innings, while taking his wicket on one occasion.
Marcus Stoinis vs Adil Rashid
Stoinis played a crucial role in Australia's opening-game victory over South Africa, remaining unbeaten on 24 off 16 deliveries in a dramatic low-scoring game. However, he faces a nemesis in Adil Rashid when his side takes on England on Saturday.
Stoinis has fallen twice to Adil Rashid in four innings, while scoring at a strike rate of only 84.21.
| Players | Innings | Wickets | Runs scored | Strike rate |
| Marcus Stoinis vs Adil Rashid | 4 | 2 | 16 | 84.21 |
Jason Roy vs Kane Richardson
Richardson may have not played in this edition so far, but the bowler enjoys an excellent record against some of England’s most aggressive batters.
Jason Roy, who scored a well-paced half-century in England’s victory over Bangladesh, has struggled against Richardson, getting out twice to him in three innings.
Richardson has also kept the current World No.1 T20I batter Dawid Malan quiet, conceding only 15 runs against him in five innings, while taking his wicket on one occasion.
Marcus Stoinis vs Adil Rashid
Stoinis played a crucial role in Australia's opening-game victory over South Africa, remaining unbeaten on 24 off 16 deliveries in a dramatic low-scoring game. However, he faces a nemesis in Adil Rashid when his side takes on England on Saturday.
Stoinis has fallen twice to Adil Rashid in four innings, while scoring at a strike rate of only 84.21.
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Adil Rashid enjoys an overall decent record against Australia as well, bowling at an economy rate of 7.33, taking 10 wickets in 7 innings.
Glenn Maxwell vs Chris Jordan
The flamboyant Australian batter has been on a stellar run in T20s over the past month and will be one of the key players for the side against England.
While Maxwell has an upper hand over Rashid (strike rate of over 170), his match-up against Chris Jordan promises to be an exciting contest.
The Australian has fallen thrice to Jordan in four innings but has scored against him at a brisk rate (167.85).
