AUSTRALIA vs ENGLAND at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14TH 2015

Teams:
Australia (likely): David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, George Bailey (capt), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.
England (likely): Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, James Taylor, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Gary Ballance, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

The recent tri-series saw England lose three times to Australia, with the final in Perth on February 1 ending in a crushing 112-run defeat for Eoin Morgan’s men.

Significantly, Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson marked his first appearance of 2015 with a decisive spell of three top-order wickets in just 10 balls that included the left-armer bowling Morgan first ball.
The way in which the World Cup is structured means England should still qualify for the quarter-finals regardless of the outcome of their Valentine’s Day opener.
The new skipper neatly evaded a verbal bouncer from Kevin Pietersen when the axed England batsman — playing in Australia’s domestic Big Bash Twenty20 tournament — said Morgan would “love to have me in the England team”.

AUSTRALIA WITH HOME EDGE OVER FOES ENGLAND
Bailey’s side, pace attack in full force, aims to avoid repeat of 1992 loss in its AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND opener

Since losing an ODI series 4-0 in England in June-July 2012, Australia has won eight of the last ten games between these two great rivals. But Bailey, for one, would not countenance any talk of complacency. “I think England have made some really positive changes to the way they play and their structure, and I personally think they look really dangerous,” he said. “I don’t think they rely too heavily on one or two players.”
A loss here won’t cripple either team’s chances. But after what happened in 1992 – when Australia started with losses to New Zealand and South Africa – Bailey and his teammates will be keenly aware of the M word – momentum. Win this, and the prospect of returning to this storied venue on March 29 will seem a lot less daunting.