The 2023 ODI World Cup bandwagon arrives for the first time in Bengaluru on Friday as five-time champions Australia face 1992 winners Pakistan at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
After defeats in their opening two fixtures, Australia got off the mark in the tournament with a win by five wickets over Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday. Adam Zampa, who was ineffective against India and South Africa, put fresh life into his campaign with a spell of 4 for 47 in eight overs and ensured that Australia had a modest total to chase in the second innings.
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Runs from Mitchell Marsh would have given him confidence heading into the Pakistan fixture but Pat Cummins and co. will hope that Josh Inglis, who made a 59-ball 58 on Monday, can hold the Australian middle-order together with Glenn Maxwell, who will know the conditions better than most from his experience of playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
Pakistan will come into the game on the back of crushing defeat at the hands of India in Ahmedabad. Even in defeat, however, there was one positive for the side as captain Babar Azam got back among the runs once again, with a half-century to his name.
Mohammad Rizwan maintained his good start to the campaign before he was dismissed by a peach of a slower ball from Jasprit Bumrah for 49. The Men in Green will also hope that Abdullah Shafique can show more of the form that he did against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, on what are expected to be good batting conditions in Bengaluru.
Babar and co. will also hope that the bowlers turn up on Friday after having leaked 741 runs and taken a mere 23 wickets in three matches, so far. These two teams have played some high intensity matches at ODI World Cups in the past and if the Chinnaswamy can dish out a true surface in its opener, then we can expect another classic on Friday.
What: Australia vs. Pakistan, Match 18, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
When: October 20, 2023, 2:00 PM IST
Where: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Australia Team News
Australia are likely to stick to the same playing XI that took on and faced Sri Lanka and will aim for their second straight win on Friday.
Probable Playing XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.
Pakistan
A few of the Pakistan suffered a bout of viral fever upon arriving in Bengaluru on Sunday. But PCB media manager Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi said on that most of the players who had been affected by the flu were on the road to recovery.
Fast bowler Hassan Ali confirmed in the pre-match press conference that batter Fakhar Zaman was unavailable for the fixture because of a knee injury. Pakistan might consider including leg-spinner Usama Mir after his impressive showing in the warm-up match.
Probably Playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.
QUOTES
“You know, especially at a venue like here in Bangalore, I dare say it’s going to be high scoring, smaller field. Pitch is always really good here. So, yeah, batting is super important. I think the way the guys started last game (against Sri Lanka) really set the tone,”- Pat Cummins on the threat posed by Pakistan on Friday.
“I was out of the team for a year but I didn’t change anything. I didn’t bring anything new -I just focused on my basics and worked on performing wherever I could and grabbing opportunities. I have got the opportunity and I am trying to show my hard work and experience here at this mega event, as the entire world watches this event every 4 years. I was working on my basic that’s it. Nothing special,”- Hasan Ali on returning to the Pakistan setup and his evolution as a bowler.
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