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Bitter foes Australia and England resume hostilities in the Twenty20 tri-series but both teams will look noticeably different from previous sparring sessions.
England will be aiming to maintain their limited-overs dominance over Australia after convincingly winning the One-Day International (ODI) series 4-1. However, they will be without key trio Joe Root, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali who are being rested after a grueling tour Down Under which started in late October.
An ultra-aggressive and bold England thoroughly dictated against a seemingly jaded Australia in the 50-over arena but will come up against a revamped opponent in their tri-series opener. With all their Test players rested bar veteran opener David Warner, a rejuvenated Australia produced an almost flawless performance in a resounding seven-wicket victory over No.2 ranked New Zealand in game one.
Towering quick Billy Stanlake set the tone with a devastating opening spell to tear apart New Zealand's top-order, while big hitters Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell finished the job as Australia cruised to victory. The trio along with emerging superstar D'Arcy Short added notable firepower to Australia's line-up, which felt sedate during the ODI series. Under the vibrant leadership of stand-in captain Warner, Australia's newfound zeal was obvious and so is their determination to emerge from a lowly No.7 in the world rankings.
Australia's seemingly successful regeneration means England are likely to find the going more difficult, particularly with some of their mainstays missing. Still, they have vaunted depth in white ball cricket even without the continual services of superstar allrounder Ben Stokes.
James Vince and Dawid Malan, familiar faces from England's wretched Ashes campaign, are likely to be given opportunities during the tri-series and will be expected to thrive amid the batting order's high-octane approach.
The clash is the only international fixture this summer in Tasmania, Australia's often forgotten island state. In an indication of Bellerive Oval's reduced standing in Australian cricket, Hobart is set to miss out on hosting a Test next summer with Canberra slated for a historic debut to host Sri Lanka.
Low crowds to internationals in Hobart have long been a bane but the T20 match involving cricket's greatest rivalry is a golden opportunity for the masses to turn out in force. With a climate and surrounds somewhat resembling the UK, England should feel right at home in Hobart and fuel their burgeoning momentum in the coloured clothing.
Even though both teams are weakened, the stage is set for a mouth-watering contest between Australia and England.