Out-of-form England get their Champions Trophy campaign under way against a depleted Australia in Lahore on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points ahead of the latest battle between the Ashes rivals.
Bazball under the pump
We've named our XI for the first game against Australia 👇
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 20, 2025
Brendon McCullum’s reign as England’s white-ball coach got off to an inauspicious start with T20 and ODI series defeats in India, where they won just one of eight matches. No England batter came close to making a hundred in the 3-0 ODI series clean sweep, often flummoxed by India’s battery of spinners. The bowlers, backed to send down “absolute rockets” and “blow teams away”, saw their pace used against them. But flatter tracks in Pakistan offer more reason for hope, even if England’s ODI record since the start of the 2023 World Cup – 16 defeats in 23 ODIs – makes for grim reading.
Can Buttler lead by example?
England’s ODI malaise has coincided with a prolonged slump from their captain. Averaging 20.78, with just two fifties in his last 15 outings, Buttler could do with rediscovering the form that saw him held up as England’s greatest white-ball batter ever. His numbers between the start of England’s regeneration in 2015 to just before the start of the 2023 World Cup are staggering, with an average of 46.61 and strike-rate of 120.63 in 114 ODIs. To give his side the best chance of doing well in Pakistan, Buttler could do with getting back to his swaggering best as a finisher.
Three-sy does it for Smith
Returning from a left calf injury that sidelined him for the final five of England’s eight matches in India, Jamie Smith has been handed the double responsibility of keeping wicket and batting at three. Smith has been tidy behind the stumps in Tests so him taking the gloves off Phil Salt is not that much of a surprise. But being carded behind Salt and Ben Duckett is, given he has only once batted at first drop for Surrey and never higher than number five for England in 18 international outings in all formats. He averages 22.16 from seven ODIs with a high score of 49 but England, under McCullum, are renowned for their bold selection policies and this represents another high-stakes gamble.
England’s bowling exposed
🔟 overs left in India's innings...
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 12, 2025
Looking for more wickets in Ahmedabad to stem the flow of runs.
🇮🇳 2️⃣7️⃣5️⃣-4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qpmhmPYb3x
In selecting Smith, England have reinforced their batting but at a stroke left their bowling light on numbers. The alternative was to select Jamie Overton to bat seven but while he impressed with the ball, he had a torrid time with the bat in India with five single-figure scores in six innings and a best of 19. England then are relying on pace trio Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, the latter two back from injury, plus leg-spinner Adil Rashid, with Liam Livingstone and Joe Root making up the rest of the overs. At a ground where 291 has been the average first-innings ODI score in the last three years, if one of their frontline options is expensive then Buttler could be scratching around for options.
Weakened world champions
Introducing our 15-player squad for the 2025 ICC #ChampionsTrophy 👊 pic.twitter.com/Rtv20mhXAW
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) February 12, 2025
Australia’s build-up has been blemished by injuries and a host of withdrawals. Talismanic captain Pat Cummins and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood are injured while Mitchell Starc has withdrawn for personal reasons. Australia going into their first ICC event without their frontline pace trio is compounded by an injury to Mitch Marsh while another all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has abruptly retired. Steve Smith, England’s bete noire for nearly a decade, stands in as skipper while they will be leaning on the experience of Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa, all of whom starred in their 2023 World Cup triumph. The lack of key personnel perhaps explains why the phoney Ashes war has barely been mentioned despite this likely being the teams’ last match in any format before their next tussle for the urn later this year.
