England and Australia will put their perfect records at this year’s T20 World Cup on the line when they meet in Group 1 on Saturday, with the winner set to take a giant step towards the semi-finals.
The two rivals are locked together on four points at the top of the group standings after both claimed victories in their opening two games, with England emphatically seeing off West Indies and Bangladesh, while Australia edged past South Africa before getting the better of Sri Lanka.
That has set up a mouth-watering encounter between the two teams at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with the match also coming less than six weeks before the Ashes is due to get underway.
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England to Maintain Perfect Start
England are bidding to become the first team to hold the T20 and 50-over World Cups at the same time and they have wasted no time in winning their opening two matches, dismissing West Indies for just 55 before restricting Bangladesh to 124 off their 20 overs.
Eoin Morgan’s side are priced at 20/33 to make it three wins from three against an Australia team that rather laboured to victory over South Africa in their opening group match before an explosive knock of 65 from David Warner helped them see off Sri Lanka.
That performance against Sri Lanka should act as a warning to England, but the 50-over world champions have had the measure of Australia in recent T20 meetings, as they have won three of the last four encounters, including claiming a 2-1 series success on home soil last year.
However, the most recent T20 clash did end in a five-wicket victory for Australia, with Aaron Finch’s side priced at 5/4 to get the better of their old rivals in Dubai.
Openers to Lead England to Victory
England’s bowling attack has grabbed the headlines in their opening two victories, with leg-spinner Adil Rashid claiming remarkable figures of 4-2 in their success against the Windies, while paceman Tymal Mills has taken five wickets across the two matches.
Those impressive efforts with the ball have laid the foundations for England to successfully chase down their targets with room to spare, with Jason Roy producing a knock of 61 against Bangladesh.
It is Roy’s fellow opener, Jos Buttler, who is priced at 5/2 to be England’s leading run scorer against Australia, that particularly catches the eye, with the 31-year-old having claimed five half centuries from this last 11 innings in T20 internationals.
That record includes an unbeaten 83 against India earlier this year and Buttler can be backed at 10/3 to deliver another knock of 50 or above on Saturday.
Pakistan Staking Their Claim for World Cup Glory
England and Australia may have caught the eye in Group 1, but Pakistan have been the dominant force in Group 2, with Friday’s five-wicket victory over Afghanistan making it three wins from three for Babar Azam’s side and moving them to within touching distance of the semi-finals.
Pakistan had already beaten pre-tournament favourites India, as well as New Zealand prior to their victory over Afghanistan and they are priced at 5/2 to go on and win the T20 World Cup for the second time.
India and New Zealand now face a battle to make it through to knockout stages and they will meet in a potentially pivotal match in Dubai on Sunday.
The loser of that contest will be on the brink of elimination, with India priced at 20/49 to claim victory, while Virat Kohli’s side are available at 3/1 to win the tournament overall.
*All odds correct at time of writing