The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy has already witnessed five centuries, a couple of match-changing spells and some outstanding catching but the start has been a quiet one. Maybe it needed the rivalry matches to light the fuse and it’s the Ashes one to start off, before the political one. Australia and England will be up against each other but both find themselves in a similar situation as far as their ODI cricket is concerned. Australia, personnel-wise and England form-wise.
Any team losing its first-choice almost equal to half the playing XI will never not affect the balance, the quality of the side when the ones missing out include your trio of pacers, which has been the backbone of the side across ICC events for a decade now. But Australia in an ICC event is a team 10x of what it is in bilaterals and England have experienced it first hand more often than not. England have most of their first XI available but since the Eoin Morgan era, the 2019 champions haven’t been able to crack the format.
The 2023 World Cup was a reminder of the same and maybe, just maybe the pervasiveness of T20 cricket is taking the joy and patience of white-ball cricketers is taking away the patience and hence, they had to call upon someone like Joe Root. Despite all the concerns, just man-to-man, England should start as favourites against Australia, but Steve Smith is leading the side and as a captain, he somehow always has a trick up his sleeve. Can he fire up the impoverished Australian side to do unthinkable stuff?
My Dream11 team for ICC Champions Trophy Match 4, AUS vs ENG
Travis Head, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook (vc), Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Brydon Carse (c), Adil Rashid, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis
Playing XIs
Australia (probable): Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith (C), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Ben Dwarshuis/Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (WK), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
