The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala is all set to witness the clash of the cricketing giants, New Zealand and Australia on Saturday, October 28 in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The two teams have had a good run in the tournament so far and will be keen to finish among the top.
Australia ranks fourth on the table with six points from five matches. They lost their opening two matches against India and South Africa but defeated Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Netherlands in the next three to make a great comeback. On the other hand, New Zealand’s four-match winning streak was broken by India in the last match. They rank third with eight points from five matches. Head-to-Head, New Zealand doesn’t have a good record. They have lost 95 matches against Australia, out of the 141 ODIs played.
In this article, we take a look at the key player battles for the Australia vs New Zealand match in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Steve Smith vs Trent Boult
Steve Smith hasn’t had a great run in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 so far. He has struggled to get going in the tournament, except for the last match against the Netherlands. He slammed 71 runs in the match, which Australia won by 309 runs. Smith will be keen to continue the form from the last game. However, he will be facing Trent Boult, who has a good record against the Aussie. Boult has dismissed Smith thrice in ODI cricket, conceding 89 runs at a strike rate of 67.9. So far, the Kiwi pacer has taken six wickets in five matches of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Daryl Mitchell vs Adam Zampa
Daryl Mitchell slammed a century against India in the recent ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match. He smashed 130 runs off 127 deliveries, including nine boundaries and five sixes. Unfortunately, the match result did not go in New Zealand’s favour. However, Mitchell will be confident heading into the upcoming match. He will be facing Adam Zampa, who has also been in terrific form. In fact, Zampa is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far. He has taken 13 wickets in five matches, including three four-wicket hauls.
David Warner vs Matt Henry
Matt Henry has played a crucial role for New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 so far. He is their second leading wicket-taker, picking 10 wickets in five matches, at an average of 21.70. He will be looking forward to taking on David Warner in the upcoming match. Henry has a great record against the Australian opener. He has dismissed Warner on four occasions in ODIs, conceding 90 runs at a strike rate of 103.4. It will be interesting to see who wins the upcoming battle. Warner is also in great form, slamming two consecutive centuries in the tournament.
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