England take on Australia in what is expected to be a great content to watch for the fans. Both teams might see this as a favorable time to face each other. England will likely feel that Australia, weakened by injuries and key absences, lacks experience in certain areas. Meanwhile, Australia might also feel that England are struggling—underperforming compared to their past form and not producing the results they once did. This seems like an ideal time to face England, and both teams might share that sentiment heading into the match. 

Starting with England, I fully support Jamie Smith’s selection and completely agree with the selectors on that. However, batting him at number three feels like a very England-McCullum-style decision. As far as I know, he has only batted at three in this format once or twice, so it’s not a position he’s particularly familiar with.

That said, I don’t mind the decision from his perspective—it’s a good opportunity for him. However, the challenge with this move is how it affects Jos Buttler’s position in the order. With Smith at three, Buttler gets pushed down to number six, which is far too low for a player of his caliber. England will need to carefully manage the middle order—particularly how they structure positions four, five, and six with Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Buttler.

The concern is that if Joe Root ends up batting too low, it limits his ability to control the innings, which is one of his strengths. Ideally, you want him in early enough to set the tempo.

Smith is also taking up wicketkeeping duties, but his impact with the bat could be crucial. Additionally, Brydon Carse has recovered from his injury concerns and will play a big role as the third seamer alongside Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.

England will be heavily reliant on their pace attack. As for their strengths, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett have been excellent at the top, but one of them needs to convert a good start into a big score. While England’s top order has begun well, in subcontinent conditions—where the early overs are often the best time to bat—it’s crucial to capitalise and build a substantial innings.

England has struggled to produce big scores in recent times, and that’s an area they’ll need to address. One concern is that this group of players doesn’t have much experience in 50-over cricket. While England might view it as simply two back-to-back T20 innings, I see it differently. On flat wickets, especially when facing a team they’ve dominated early, the approach and strategy can be quite different.

As I’ve often emphasised, success in 50-over cricket is about reading the game and adapting to the match situation as it unfolds. When players don’t have much experience in this format, that challenge becomes even tougher. That’s my main concern with England—they simply don’t play enough 50-over cricket. However, they clearly view their pace attack as a major strength.

England’s pace attack hasn’t been as effective in recent games in India. To turn things around, they’ll need to be smarter—varying their pace, targeting the stumps more, and adapting their approach. Watching the recent white-ball series against India, I felt England could have bowled at the stumps more often, and that remains a key challenge in this series.

As for Australia, they’re dealing with significant setbacks, with several key players missing and their bowling attack largely depleted. Australia is difficult to assess, given the number of possible scenarios for them. 

One option is opening with Steve Smith alongside Travis Head, though I’m not convinced that’s the best approach. If they go that route, England might actually prefer it—if Archer, Wood, or whoever takes the new ball can remove one of them early, it could expose Australia’s inexperienced middle order. However, if Smith and Head manage to build a solid platform, it would give Australia a significant advantage.

If it were up to me, I wouldn’t open with Smith and Head, but Australia may still choose to do so. Jake Fraser-McGurk has struggled recently, making it difficult for the selectors to justify picking him. However, he’s a great talent and likely just one good innings away from finding his form. They also have Matt Short, who I believe is a solid option at the top of the order. Given these choices, Australia has some flexibility with Smith’s role, but I’d prefer to see him in the middle order at No. 3 or 4.

I believe Josh Inglis is a fantastic player, and this tournament could be his breakthrough moment in the one-day format. He has already made his mark in Test cricket, but I hope he gets the chance to showcase his talent in the top order. 

However, England’s attack will be more pace-heavy, which could work in Australia’s favor. They tend to be more comfortable with the ball coming onto the bat. Looking at their key players, aside from Smith, there’s also Glenn Maxwell and Marnus Labuschagne—if he gets a spot in the XI. Australia has plenty of experience in their batting lineup, but their key players will need to step up.

On the bowling front, this is a great opportunity for some fresh faces. I like Ben Dwarshuis, though it’s unclear if he’ll get a game, and the same goes for Sean Abbott. It seems likely that Spencer Johnson will lead the attack as a direct replacement for Mitchell Starc. He’s quick, aggressive, and capable of putting opposition teams on the back foot early. Additionally, Australia has several young impact players eager to prove themselves.

You can never write off Australia. Over the years—going back even further than just the last few—they’ve been the best tournament team in this format. They have players who elevate their game when it matters most, delivering standout performances on the big stage. This is a major tournament, and some of their key players will undoubtedly rise to the occasion.

It’s a tough match to call, as both teams are not quite at their best heading into this contest.

For Australia, Adam Zampa will be absolutely crucial. They might also consider Tanveer Sangha, given England’s struggles in white-ball cricket against spin and pace-off deliveries. While Sangha wouldn’t typically make Australia’s first-choice XI, the matchup against England could justify playing an extra spinner. With Australia still fine-tuning their best bowling combination, this could be an option worth exploring.