Event of the Day: England versus Australia
Our event of the day is the One Day International cricket match between Australia and England at the Oval in London. As part of Australia’s Tour of England, the two teams will play a series of five ODIs and one T20 throughout the month of June. The Australian squad is playing in their first International cricket match since the ball tampering scandal in South Africa back in March. Australia lost their Captain Steve Smith and Vice-Captain David Warner to 12 month suspensions in the aftermath of the controversy, Cameron Bancroft received a 9 month ban. New coach Justin Langer hopes this tour will serve as a fresh start on the International scene for the Australians.
England, who are ranked as the number one team in the most recent ODI Rankings, will not be an easy opponent. The English side will have to bounce back after a surprising six-run loss against Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday. They will be out to prove that the defeat was simply a road bump and should return to form against Australia. This England side is known for it’s deep team and batting ability. However, they will be without reliable all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes for the first few matches of the series due to injuries. Jonny Bairstow will hope to pick up the slack as he has the chance to become the second player ever to score four straight ODI centuries. England are the favourites heading into the series, having won seven of their last nine ODIs against Australia. Today’s opening match at the historic Kennington Oval should be a good test for both squads. Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 3 of the Mercedes Cup, as ATP World Tour tennis continues in Stuttgart, Germany. The spotlight will be on Roger Federer, as he makes his first appearance on the court since the Miami Open in March. His match against German Mischa Zverev will be the one to watch today. World-class tennis is also on show in Rosmalen in the Netherlands as the Libéma Open enters it’s 3rd Day of matches. Day 3 of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham is taking place on the WTA World Tour as well. In Major League Soccer, Atlanta United FC travel to Ohio to take on Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium. Major League Baseball is on at Citizens Bank Park as the Philadelphia Phillies play the struggling Colorado Rockies in the second game of a three match series. The New Zealand Women continue their Tour of Ireland and England as they wrap up their ODI series against Ireland at Castle Avenue in Dublin. In men’s cricket, the Netherlands and Ireland play their second match of the Netherlands Tri-Nation T20 Series in Rotterdam. As part of Pakistan’s Tour of the UK and Ireland, Scotland host the Pakistanis for the second match of their T20 Series in Edinburgh.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by England Cricket