Lahore, Feb 20 (IANS) Jamie Smith will bat at No.3 for the first time in his ODI career and keep wicket for England in their Champions Trophy opener against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Saturday. Joe Root, England’s long-time No. 3, moved down to No.4 in the final match of their recent 3-0 ODI series loss in India and will continue in that role. Smith, who has only batted at No.5 or 6 in his seven-match ODI career, steps into a new position in his first ICC tournament appearance.
England struggled with team balance after Jacob Bethell’s injury in India, appearing one batter short in the second ODI and lacking bowling depth in the third. They have opted for a batting-heavy lineup for the Champions Trophy opener, with Liam Livingstone at No. 7. As a result, Livingstone and Root will share 10 overs between them.
Root has previously batted at No. 4 in 56 of his 163 ODI innings, though most came early in his career. With Smith at No. 3, England’s middle-order – Root, Harry Brook, and Jos Buttler – will be bolstered after recent collapses in India.
Smith featured in only two of England’s eight white-ball matches in India due to a calf injury but has recovered in time to face Australia. He will keep wickets ahead of Phil Salt – who will open alongside Ben Duckett.
Fast bowler Brydon Carse, sidelined by a toe injury for the second and third ODIs in India, has also been passed fit. He has been preferred over Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Saqib Mahmood and will bat at No. 8 as England’s third seamer, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood leading the attack.
Australia, meanwhile, are missing five senior players: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh (all injured), along with Marcus Stoinis (retired from ODIs) and Mitchell Starc (personal reasons). The two sides last met in ODIs at the end of the 2024 English summer, with Australia winning 3-2.
England XI vs Australia: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
–IANS
ab/bsk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
