England v India: Form hasn’t deserted Bell despite first-baller
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The two visiting teams in the Carlton Mid Tri Series do battle looking to regroup following somewhat pedestrian losses to hosts Australia in their opening matches.
While the tinkering and experimentation may continue as the sides seek the perfect remedy for the World Cup in little under a month, it is imperative that confidence is built with that tournament starting to loom large.
With conditions at the Gabba set to suit an attacking brand of cricket, here are our three best bets for the game:
Brisbane pitches usually provide a fair contest between bat and ball, but the one that will greet England and India on Tuesday is reportedly one of its better offerings, with the surface hard, the outfield lightning and a red-hot sun beating down on the ground.
To that end runs should flow with great ease and the number of maximums on show from two sides that are now married to the idea of aggressive batting should easily clear the line set here.
After setting England’s record one-day international score in the final warm up game, Bell was the epitome of the anti-climax when falling to the very first ball of the series in Sydney.
That golden duck was a rarity for the Warwickshire man as it was only his third score below 10 in his last 30 ODI innings.
Clearly still in fine fettle from his mammoth 187 two knocks ago, backing Bell to get back his consistent ways here is a smart move.
Many worried that England had replaced one out of sorts captain with another when Eoin Morgan took over the armband, but his majestic 121 in his first full-time outing proved he’s a skipper that rises to the occasion.
With Jimmy Anderson back to provide greater control to the bowling department, England are just one solid batting start away from clicking into gear.
India, on the other hand, are still without two key players in Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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