Australia will face Pakistan in a crucial match to be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on 20 October 2023. Both teams need a win staying in contention for the semi-finals spot.
The five-time champion Australia registered their first win of the tournament beating Sri Lanka by 5 wickets. It was a superb bowling effort as they bowled out Sri Lanka for 210 after the Lankan openers put on 125 runs. Despite Smith and Warner failing, it was a good effort as Marsh and Inglis scored half-centuries along with cameos by Maxwell that led to a comfortable win.
On the other hand, Pakistan suffered a disappointing 7-wicket loss against arch-rivals India. They need to get their act together if they want to qualify for the semi-finals.
Both teams have good quality players who can change the course of the game with their abilities and help register victory.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Watch Out For
- Mitchell Marsh
After two disappointing outings against India and Australia, Mitchell Marsh showed his aggressive intent against Sri Lanka with a well-complied half-century. After losing 2 early wickets of Warner and Smith, Marsh put the bad deliveries away for boundaries and kept the scoreboard ticking.
Mitchell Marsh has an attacking mindset that puts the bowlers under pressure. He will be looking to showcase his talent on a good batting paradise at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The explosive opener played just 2 ODI matches against Pakistan and scored just 4 runs.
He would be looking to put Pakistan bowlers under pressure in the first 10 overs that would help Australia register a victory and keep momentum going for them.
- Babar Azam
Babar Azam came to the crease after a good 41 runs-opening partnership against India. He played some lovely shots against pacers keeping the scoreboard ticking along with Rizwan. The Pakistan captain will look to play with an attacking mindset and not allow the Australian bowlers to settle.
He has a great record against Australia in the ODI format with 588 runs from 9 matches ( 9 innings) with 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries to his name including 114. During the 2019 edition of the World Cup match against Australia, Azam looked in decent touch but could not convert it into a big score.
Babar Azam will play a key role in providing stability at number 3 and make sure that his knock will help Pakistan put some pressure on Australian bowling.
- Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc did not look at his best with the new ball against Sri Lanka. He showed his class with some lovely deliveries dismissing Dhanajaya de Silva and Lahiru Kumara. It was a superb bowling effort by Starc as he grabbed 2 wickets.
He had a decent spell against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup with figures of 2 for 43 in 9 overs and helped register victory over them. His performance has been brilliant in the ODI format against Pakistan with 23 wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 4.56 runs per over and figures of 5 for 42.
Starc would be key to providing early breakthroughs and put the Pakistan batting department under pressure which will help Australia keep them under check.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi looked out of colours in the previous match against India. Despite picking 2 wickets, he was smashed all over the park by Rohit Sharma and Co.
He has a decent record against Australia in ODI format picking 8 wickets from 3 matches at an economy of 6.18 runs per over with best figures of 4 for 63. When these two teams met in the 2019 World Cup, Shaheen Shah Afridi went for 70 runs and grabbed 2 wickets.
His role is to provide early wickets with the new ball and put the Australian openers under pressure. If Shaheen could do the damage, then Pakistan has a great chance to register their third victory of the tournament.
- Adam Zampa
The leg spinner Adam Zampa showed his abilities with the ball with match match-winning spell of 4 for 47 against Sri Lanka. He looked out of colour initially before taking wickets of Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samawickrama quickly.
Zampa then took the wickets of Chamika Karaunate and Theekshana to finish with 4 wickets. He delivered loose deliveries in between but will be confident delivering the goods for Australia in the middle overs.
His performance in ODIs has been decent enough with 17 wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 5.54 runs per over and figures of 4 for 38. He would play a key role in picking wickets in the middle overs which would be important for Australia’s point of view.
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