Australia vs Pakistan: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match preview

Australia will look to build on their last win, while Pakistan will aim to shrug off their heavy loss against India.

Who: Australia vs India

When: Friday, October 20, 2pm (08:30 GMT)

Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India

Australia’s top order are working hard to set things right at the World Cup and a batting-friendly wicket like Bengaluru should provide the right platform to score plenty of runs when they play Pakistan, according to their captain skipper Pat Cummins.

Australia lost their first two matches without crossing 200 runs, but won their last game against Sri Lanka to move up to seventh in the standings. However, their top order has failed to get going despite some promising starts.

Marnus Labuschagne is the only Australia batter to score more than 100 runs in the tournament so far, and Cummins said it was important they stepped up in Bengaluru, where the team batting first has averaged 335 in the last three one-day internationals (ODI).

“Especially at a venue like here in Bangalore, I dare say it’s going to be high-scoring, smaller field. The pitch is always really good here,” Cummins told reporters ahead of Friday’s game.

“Batting is super important. I think the way the guys started the last game really set the tone – Mitchell [Marsh] and Davey [Warner] up front from the first over, taking the game on.

“That’s what we want from our players. And they’re working really hard, they’re doing all the right things. I’m sure plenty of runs are around the corner.”

Pakistan started the tournament with two wins before losing to India and they sit fourth in the standings.

Both sides will renew their decades-long World Cup rivalry.

Cummins said the Asian side are “well-structured”, identifying Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam as their biggest batting threats while Hasan Ali has been the pick of Pakistan’s fast bowlers with seven wickets.

“They have some really good quick bowlers who can do some damage, some spin bowlers that can bowl 20 of their overs,” Cummins said.

“Rizwan’s the leading run scorer, Babar Azam’s always good, a couple of other batters that have scored a lot in ODIs lately. So they’re a really strong side pretty much in all facets.”

Day 2️⃣ of training in Bengaluru 🏏

Honing the skills to perfection 🔝#CWC23 | #DattKePakistani pic.twitter.com/8IWQsx8bBe

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2023

Head to head

Pakistan and Australia have met on 10 occasions in the Cricket World Cup and Australia have inflicted six big losses on the 1992 champions. Pakistan have won four times, the last being at the 2011 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Form

Australia have a mixed bag of results going into their fourth match, having won one match and lost two.

Pakistan were the world’s top-ranked ODI team until a few weeks ago, but have now lost a few big matches in the Asia Cup and one against India in this tournament.

Australia: W L L W L L

Pakistan: L W W L L

Team news

Australia are likely to field the same side that beat Sri Lanka as Travis Head continues his recovery from an injury to his left hand.

Pakistan’s lineup could depend on their players’ recovery from a bout of viral illness.

Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf