“Don’t miss the mail here, I call it – England (to win) 3-2. I say the Aussies are going to be left in the dust on their home track. They have some great fast players in Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue to name a few,” O’Keefe said as quoted by Fox Cricket.
The left-arm spinner felt England have the right players for the right occasion and they come in with exactly the form they need to provide a stiff challenge for Australia. He also noted that the bowling attack looked about right this time.
“I just think they are ready, they have the right attack this time. They used to bring some players over but you never felt like they were ever close or good enough. They were the superior team when they beat us twice in the past. In 2010 they had the better team. This time you could argue and say they don’t, but I’m just saying this is the right team in the right shape to come over. I just think the timing is right. It has been fifteen years since 2010,” he added.
The 40-year-old predicted that the pitches would be more batting-friendly this time. He also mentioned that the first four batters for England will put enough pressure on the Australian bowling attack to ensure that it remains under pressure on most occasions.
“Joe Root is in the form of his life. Combine that with Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. I think the wickets will be flatter and they will try to wreak havoc against this Australian attack and take them on, and I think that’s what will put pressure on the Aussies, and ultimately I think they will fail under that pressure. What they have is repeated fast-bowling options, there is no way out, and they will do that.” challenge this Australian team,” O’Keefe concluded.
Australia last played the red ball format during their tour of the West Indies where they emerged as convincing winners by a margin of 3-0. On the other hand, England played the India series at home. Australia have not lost a single Test match in Australia while playing against England.
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