Australia and Pakistan are ready to face off in the match 17 at the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Taunton on Wednesday. The game will be an important one for Pakistan as they have only managed to win just one out of three games and would like to produce a positive result against Australia, especially after their wash out in their last game against Sri Lanka.
In the batting department, the Men in Green will be relying on the top-three of Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul-Haq and Babar Azam to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and leg-spinner Shadab Khan to provide timely breakthroughs. After an impressive performance against England in their previous match, Pakistan are likely to keep the same playing eleven, however, all-rounder Imad Wasim might make his way back in the team at the expense of either Shoaib Malik or Asif Ali.
On the other hand, Australia will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering a thumping defeat against India in their previous match. In the batting department, the Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of captain Aaron Finch, opener David Warner, veteran right-hander Steve Smith and explosive all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Jason
Australia and Pakistan are ready to face off in the match 17 at the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Taunton on Wednesday. The game will be an important one for Pakistan as they have only managed to win just one out of three games and would like to produce a positive result against Australia, especially after their wash out in their last game against Sri Lanka.
In the batting department, the Men in Green will be relying on the top-three of Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul-Haq and Babar Azam to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and leg-spinner Shadab Khan to provide timely breakthroughs. After an impressive performance against England in their previous match, Pakistan are likely to keep the same playing eleven, however, all-rounder Imad Wasim might make his way back in the team at the expense of either Shoaib Malik or Asif Ali.
On the other hand, Australia will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering a thumping defeat against India in their previous match. In the batting department, the Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of captain Aaron Finch, opener David Warner, veteran right-hander Steve Smith and explosive all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff to produce timely breakthroughs. There is likely to be more than just one change in Australia team for the match on Wednesday as all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will miss the game against Pakistan and he is likely to be replaced by veteran left-hander Shaun Marsh, whereas off-spinner Nathan Lyon might come back in the playing eleven at the expense of leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton will be used as the venue for the contest, which will be hosting its fifth ODI on Wednesday. Highest team total 373-6 was registered by India in the match against Sri Lanka in 1999, whereas lowest team total of 172 was registered by Afghanistan while playing against New Zealand earlier in the ongoing competition.
Player Recommendations:
Batsman: Steve Smith (10 Cr)
Steve Smith is one of the finest batsman across all formats in the game. The 30-year-old has represented the Baggy Greens in 111 ODIs where he has scored 3,591 runs at an average of 42.24 and at a strike-rate of 86.05, which included eight centuries and 21 fifties.
Wicketkeeper: Sarfraz Ahmed (8.5 Cr)
Sarfraz Ahmed is turning out to be a more than decent wicketkeeper-batsman in the white-ball cricket. The 32-year-old has played 82 innings for the Men in Green in the 50-over format where he has scored 2,191 runs at an average of 34.77 and at a strike-rate of 88.74, which included two centuries and 11 fifties.
All-rounder: Mohammad Hafeez (9 Cr)
Mohammad Hafeez is one of the most experienced player in the current Pakistan ODI side. The 38-year-old has represented the Green Caps in 212 ODIs, where he has scored 6,461 runs and also has 138 wickets to his name.
Bowler: Mitchell Starc (9 Cr)
Mitchell Starc is one of the leading fast-bowler in the world of cricket. The 29-year-old has represented Australia in 78 ODIs where he has 152 wickets to his name at an impressive strike-rate 25.80.
Predicted Playing XI:
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jason Behrendorff
Pakistan: Imam Ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain & wicketkeeper), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir
