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Australia faced a major setback ahead of the fifth and final ODI against England as captain Mitchell Marsh was ruled out due to soreness. This offered Steve Smith the opportunity to step in as captain for the series-deciding match at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium on Sunday, September 29.
With the ongoing five-match ODI series tied at 2-2, anticipation was high for the showdown between these Ashes rivals. Cooper Connolly was all set to make his debut for Australia, while wicketkeeper Alex Carey was dropped from the playing XI.
Under Steve Smith’s captaincy, Australia made three changes to their lineup, hoping to bounce back after a crushing 186-run defeat at Lord’s that allowed England to level the series. At the toss, Steve Smith chose to bowl first under cloudy skies, anticipating that the recent rain in Bristol—and more expected throughout the day—could play a significant role in the match’s outcome.
Steve Smith commented, “We are going to bowl. It’s a big game; you need to start well with the ball; with a bit of rain around. Looking forward to this game. Marsh is out, Carey is out, Abbott is out.” England’s captain, Harry Brook, also mentioned he would have preferred to bowl, citing similar concerns about the overcast conditions.
Mitchell Marsh’s soreness is attributed to his heavy workload during Australia’s packed schedule in the UK. Marsh had bowled for the first time since April during the fourth ODI at Lord’s, contributing with 1-27 in four overs. However, the intensity of the tour—Australia’s fifth ODI in just 11 days—seemed to take its toll on the T20I captain.
As the match began, England’s openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett came out firing, quickly taking control of the innings and hitting multiple boundaries against Australia’s bowlers.
Here are the Playing XIs for the 5th ODI:
Australia XI: Travis Head, Matt Short, Steve Smith (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
England XI: Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Adil Rashid.
