Pakistan and Australia will face-off in an important fixture of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan is currently at No.4 in the Points Table, while Australia lags behind at No.6. The 18th game of the event, will take place in Bengaluru on 20th October 2023. Following is the Pakistan vs Australia match preview of the ICC World Cup 2023.
Pakistan vs Australia Today Match Preview
This game is quite important for both sides. Australia have lost 2 games already out of their 3. They cannot afford to lose much games now. Their net run rate is also quite poor and an improvement is needed. They opened their account on the points table against Sri Lanka and now they have to make sure that they do not lose any more games.
Pakistan started their campaign brilliantly with 2/2 wins but they suffered a massive blow with a defeat against India. If Pakistan win this game, it will boost their confidence and give them their third win of the event. If they win 3 here, then their next games include a couple of easy ones, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh which Pakistan is likely to win. So with 5 wins, Pakistan will have a good chance to go to the next round and if they manage to win one of their games against England, New Zealand and South Africa, then the situation will be easier for them for the semis.
Meanwhile, the pitch and ground of Bengaluru is supportive for the modern day batters. IPL matches here have seen sixes in abundance and massive totals being scored. So this track will surely suit Australia more. Many Australian players have played at this venue in the IPL so they definitely have the advantage.
Toss will play a key role. For Pakistan, bowling first seems to be the right choice. While batting first, they are a little clueless of what total to set. Their batting currently is better than their bowling, so with dew coming in during the second innings, Pakistan can opt to chase here.
Pakistan Expected Lineup
Pakistan are likely to make one change, which is to leave out Shadab Khan and bring in Usama Mir to add strength to their bowling unit.
Probable XI: 1 Abdullah Shafique 2 Imam-ul-Haq 3 Babar Azam (C) 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 5 Saud Shakeel 6 Mohammad Nawaz 7 Iftikhar Ahmed 8 Usama Mir/Shadab Khan 9 Hasan Ali 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi 11 Haris Rauf
Australia Expected Lineup
Australia opened their account quite late in the tournament, so they might also want to retain the same winning combination now.
Probable 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 (C) 10 Adam Zampa 11 Josh Hazlewood
Players to Watch-Out for
For Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan holds the key. He is the only Pakistani batter to score good runs in all 3 games. Moreover, with him, the top order (especially Babar) needs to take responsibility. The conditions here are batting favorite so all of them must perform well.
Pakistan’s bowling has been on the lower side. Whoever plays between Usama and Shadab must perform the wicket-taking role properly. Pakistan have lacked in that and if they do not pick wickets against Australia in the middle-phase, then it would be curtains for them.
For the Aussies, Glenn Maxwell will be the star to watch-out for. He has played in Bangalore before, he can hit the ball a mile and his grip and accuracy with the ball has benefitted Australia in this event. So Maxwell will be the biggest threat for Pakistan.
Like Pakistan, Australia also need to bowl well in the middle overs. Adam Zampa has looked a little off, but he bowled well against Sri Lanka and he needs to continue doing that.
Pakistan vs Australia Toss Prediction
Pakistan is likely to win the toss and they will opt to bowl first.
Australia vs Pakistan Win Prediction
Pakistan will begin this game as favorites with 60% chance to win.
