ICC World Cup 2015: 5 things to look forward in Australia v England match

After days of waiting with bated breath, cricket fans will see the World Cup finally get underway on Valentine’s Day with two Group A matches starting off the event. While the first game will see co-hosts New Zealand take on Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Game 2 will see World Cup favourites Australia battle it out with dark horses England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the first day/night encounter of the 43-day event.Here are the top 5 things to look forward to as the two Ashes teams square off against each other.

#1 Battle of the fast bowlers

Both England and Australia rely heavily on their pace bowling attack to make an impact in the game. In James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England has a bowling duo that can take advantage of the bowler-friendly conditions where the ball moves in the air and off the seam.

While Anderson, who is the most experienced player in the English team, relies heavily on swing, Broad focuses on keeping it tight and hitting the deck hard. Aptly supported by Chris Woakes, Steve Finn and James Tredwell, the bowling attack has the potential to unsettle any batting line-up in the world. 

Australia is jam-packed with fast bowlers, and each one of whom is capable of taking the game away from the opposition on his day. Mitchell Johnson will be the vital cog in the bowling line-up, spearheading the attack. The left-arm pace bowler, who is coming off an injury that resulted in him missing the tri-series last month, generates steep bounce, and his knowledge of the home conditions will test even the best batsmen around.

If Johnson fails, there is another Mitchell – Mitchell Starc, who specialises in bowling at the death, in addition to being a potent bowler with the new ball. 

If either of the two fail, the Kangaroos have Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood to fall back on. The fact that they kept the experienced Ryan Harris out of the 15-member squad says something.