England vs Australia, 2018: 3 things Australia must do to get back to winning ways

Australian cricket has gone through a lot in recent times. The ball-tampering scandal has left them having to regain lost respect and reputation. The aftermath of recent events sees them playing under a completely revamped team and team management.

They are now led by Tim Paine, with Justin Langer as their head coach who is assisted by Ricky Ponting. A new look Aussie side without their biggest stars David Warner and Steven Smith will look at playing the game in the same rigor as the earlier sides sans the unnecessary banter.

Australia are the defending champions and will look to use the period up until the ICC World Cup to find the right balance for their team. Getting the right combination and sticking to the team is going to be crucial for this team.

They have got a good opportunity to play in English conditions for a 5 match ODI series ahead of the ICC World Cup.

Australia are without the likes of Steven Smith and David Warner as far their batting is concerned and are missing their premier fast bowlers- Patt Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for this ODI series.

The depleted Australian team couldn’t put a good fight in the first ODI and fell short by 3 wickets at the Kia Oval, London. They just couldn’t put enough runs on the board to test the English batsmen.

Heading into the second ODI of the series to be played at Cardiff, Australia would need to do in order to get back to winning ways and come back in this series:

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#1 Aaron Finch must step up and play to his potential

With the ball tampering scandal, among the finest batsmen in the modern game- Steven Smith and David Warner were banned for a period of one year. Realistically speaking, both these batsmen who were the pillars of the Australian batting line-up may not feature in the World cup squad.

So this batting lineup which is taking on England currently would most likely be the batsmen that would lead Australia’s world cup defense. And what we saw at the Kia Oval in the first ODI doesn’t paint a pretty picture. The batsmen and especially the senior batsmen just weren’t good enough.

The onus lies on Aaron Finch to step up and deliver at the top of the order. He has been in the shadow of Warner and has managed to make his own space through his attacking batting. But now without Warner, Finch not only is the enforcer but he has to bat long an deep.

The onus and responsibility will be on him to play like a senior batsman and provide the start his side would want from a player of his quality and talent. If that happens, then the likes of Travis Head, Shaun Marsh, Glen Maxwell can play and perform under less pressure.

For Australia to pose a threat and for their batting to click against the English, they would need Finch to get them off a flying start which would also make Eoin Morgan tinker around with his bowling plans, as in the first ODI the English bowlers completely controlled proceedings and weren’t completely tested.

#2 Glenn Maxwell needs to carry on with his good form

If Maxwell can channel his energies into his batting and in the field, he can be the game changer for Australia

Australia have been very patient with Glen Maxwell. He has such potential that he can destroy oppositions and win games for his side single-handedly. His mercurial nature has been a cause for deep concern and grief for Aussie fans. No one knows which Glen Maxwell would turn up on the given day.

Ricky Ponting prevailed with him and trusted his exploits as the head coach for the Delhi Daredevils (DD) franchise in IPL 2018, to no avail. Maxwell had an atrocious season with the bat with many writing him off. His critics have had a field day in recent times because of Maxwell’s lackluster performances.

It’s good to see Justin Langer understand the value and importance of Maxwell, especially now with the team without the services of Smith and Warner.

If Maxwell can channel his energies into his batting and in the field, he can be the game changer for Australia.

The first ODI was a good start for the all-rounder. He let his bat do the talking. He looked at ease in the 62 runs he scored. Due to the lack of support from the other batsmen, Australia ended up with an underwhelming total of 214.

Now this team would look at Glen Maxwell as someone to play a critical part in the decision-making process as well. The talent is evidently visible, it’s for ‘The Big Show’ to stand up and continue on his good run and live up to the faith bestowed on him.

#3 Australia need to capitalise on crucial situations

Tim Paine needs to be more proactive

Australia were unable to capitalize on crucial situations in the first ODI. They let the game slip away from their grasp, which is something they must avoid. After a couple of quick wickets delivered at the start of the innings by Billy Stanlake, they released the pressure.

Everyone is aware that Morgan and Joe Root are the batsmen who England who use to build their innings. Allowing them to get off to a start and build a partnership will not help them. Especially, with Morgan struggling for rhythm in recent times it was important for Tim Paine to have attacked more when Morgan came into bat.

He should bowled few more overs of Stanlake who could have troubled Eoin Morgan. Tim Paine needs to be aware of his team’s strength and ensure that any opportunity to put the English under pressure must be taken.

He himself dropped Jos Buttler, but it didn’t matter too much as he succumbed to Andew Tye. Australia need to step out and be extremely aggressive and show the intent to win. Their bowling display was pretty good in the first ODI considering the mediocre total put up by the batsmen.

In order to get back to winning ways and come back in the series, every small moment must be capitalised, no catches must be dropped and Australia must be consistent with their bowling and if that can be achieved, even with a depleted bowling lineup led by the talented and inform Tye they can still go on to upsurge ‘the favorites’ England and win this series.

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Will Australia be able to bounce back from the defeat in the first ODI? Sound off in the comments section below!