ENG vs AUS Dream11 Prediction (2nd ODI): 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today's match
After being beaten 2-1 by England in the 3-match T20I series, Australia came back strong in the first ODI at Old Trafford to beat the hosts by 19 runs.
Australia, who were put in to bat, found themselves struggling at 123/5 before Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh resuscitated the innings with a couple of 70s. Marcus Stoinis, who got to bat at No. 3 in the absence of Steve Smith, compiled a fluent 43, with the team finishing on 294/9 in their 50 overs.
England got off to a poor start as well, and were 13/2 in the middle of the 7th over. A decent partnership between Jonny Bairstow and captain Eoin Morgan stabilised the ship before the latter was dismissed by leg-spinner Adam Zampa. With the Three Lions at 55/4 after losing Jos Buttler as well, Bairstow and Sam Billings had a task on their hands.
Billings registered his first international hundred while the Yorkshireman tallied a sedate 84, but the target proved to be too much for them in the end. Josh Hazlewood was the star of the show with the ball in hand for the Kangaroos, picking up 3 wickets while conceding just 26 runs in his ten overs.
England are arguably the best white-ball team in the world, and they will be keen on proving that this Australia win was just a one-off.
We take a look at 3 players who could be the captain or vice-captain of your ENG v AUS Dream11 team for the second ODI.
#3 Steve Smith
After suffering a blow to the head while batting in the lead-up to the 1st ODI, Steve Smith was ruled out of the game as a precautionary measure. However, the former Australian captain has since passed his concussion tests, and should take his regular place at No. 3 in the batting lineup for the 2nd ODI.
Smith had a lean run in the T20I series, with scores of 18, 10 and 3. The unorthodox batsman is one of the greatest batsmen in the world at the moment, and it would be foolhardy to overlook him in this game. We've seen how he returned from a concussion in the 2019 Ashes against the same team, and he will be very keen on turning his poor form around.
If Smith plays, and it is likely that he will, he is an excellent choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 2nd ODI.
#2 Aaron Finch
Australian captain Aaron Finch scored only 16 runs in the 1st ODI before being dismissed by Mark Wood, and with his team already 1-0 up in the 3-match series, he will have the freedom to play his natural game right from the outset.
The 33-year-old is one of the best limited-overs batsmen in the world and he looked in good touch in the T20Is, registering scores of 46, 40 and 39. Finch is primed to score big soon, and he will be key to Australia's hopes in the 2nd ODI.
The new ball didn't come on to the bat very well in the first game, but the conditions are expected to ease out in this one, making Finch an ideal candidate to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 2nd ODI.
#1 Joe Root
Joe Root hasn't had a great run post the resumption of international cricket, but he has showed signs of finding form in the domestic circuit recently. He registered a couple of fifties for Yorkshire ahead of this ODI series, but scored only 1 run before being dismissed by Hazlewood in the 7th over in the 1st ODI.
With England's backs up against the wall in this game, they will turn to their Test captain to produce the goods for the side. Root is a quality player, and can't be counted out on the basis of one failure.
With England having all to play for in this game, Root is the perfect candidate to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 2nd ODI.