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A very high-voltage match awaits on Friday when Pakistan will face off against Australia, the five-time ODI World Cup Winner. A few weeks ago, Pakistan were the best team in the World in terms of ODI format. They also made a flying start in the World Cup by winning the first two games.
But their arch-rival India just humiliated Pakistan in their 3rd game and broke Pakistan’s winning run. The way Pakistan lost to India was terrific.
Having a flying start, Pakistan became all-out in just 191 runs. Pakistan were three wickets down in 155 runs, but they lost seven more wickets within 36 runs! As a result, many questions have arisen regarding the batting prowess of Pakistan.
On the other hand, Australia had a nightmare starting the World Cup 2023. They lost their first two games and were at the bottom of the table. However, The Mighty Aussies have returned to the winning track by defeating Sri Lanka in their most recent match in the World Cup. Austrila displayed their bowling prowess to seal the match against Sri Lanka.
Anyway, Pakistan won two of their first three games, while Australia won one of their all three games in this tournament. Therefore,t tomorrow’s clash is equally important for both sides to qualify for the top four places.
Head to Head
Both teams have faced of against each other in plenty of ODI games. A total of 107 ODI games were played between Australia and Pakista, where Australia won the majority of those games. The Aussies registered 69 victories against Pakistan, while Pakistan won 34 matches. However, Pakistan defeated Australia in their last two games in a row.
Players to Watch
Australia: Australia failed to score 200 runs in their first two games. Their batting performance is below average, although they have prominent and world class batters such as David Warner, Steven Smith, and Glenn Maxwell. Unfortunately, they all are struggling with the bat. But Mitchell Marsh and Marnush Labuschange has been the best batsmen for Australia so far in this tournament. They both can be the key players for the Aussies against Pakistan.
Pakistan: Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, has been the best batsman for Pakistan for the last few years. Unfortunately, he is not getting runs in this World Cup. But wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan is in his prime form. He has been scoring runs in every games for Pakistan. Against Australia, Mohammad Rizwan could be a key factor for the Asian Giants.
Probable XI for Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Probable XI for Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir/Mohammad Nawaz, Hassan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
