England bowl against Australia in World Cup ‘pride’ fight

England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first against Ashes rivals Australia in their bid to salvage “some pride” at the World Cup.

The defending champions are on the brink of elimination with five losses in six matches and a defeat in Ahmedabad would officially seal their exit.

England, who come in unchanged from their previous loss to India, could be eliminated from the World Cup even before their game ends if New Zealand beat Pakistan in an ongoing clash in Bengaluru.

The team has a 2025 Champions Trophy berth to play for with the top seven teams from this World Cup getting an entry into the tournament where hosts Pakistan will have automatic qualification.

“Playing against Australia is always good, plenty to play for,” Buttler said at the toss. “Some pride and there’s a Champions Trophy place to secure.”

England face an Australian team, placed third in the 10-team table, looking to boost their chances of a semi-final spot but without key players Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh.

Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green make the team in place of Maxwell and Marsh. Skipper Pat Cummins said he would have batted first, “so not fussed about losing the toss”.

“This clash always has a bit of spice, a great time to play them and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Cummins.

Five-time winners Australia and 2019 champions England are meeting for the first time since their acrimonious Ashes series, which ended 2-2 three months ago.

Teams

Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (capt/wkt), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL) and Marais Erasmus (RSA) TV Umpire: Adrian Holdstock (RSA) Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)