AUS vs AFG, ODI World Cup 2023: Afghanistan also has a chance if it wins its next two games and improves its Net Run Rate, even though Australia needs just to win its final two games to secure a semifinal berth.
Australia and Afghanistan square off in a match that will decide the championship on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium. It promises to be an exciting duel. Afghanistan also has a chance if it wins its next two games and improves its Net Run Rate, even though Australia needs just to win its final two games to secure a semifinal berth.
Also Read: India Vs South Africa, WC 2023: Virat Kohli Has Equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI Record Of 49 Tons
Afghanistan has lost all three of its prior ODI matches against Australia, including two World Cup matches. However, Afghanistan’s campaign has gained momentum after three straight victories, and it is fervently hoping that its fortunes would turn around. However, it won’t be a simple task. After losing its opening two games in the tournament, Australia had a forgettable start to the competition but bounced back to win five straight games.
Although Steve Smith’s availability is a concern following his reported vertigo issues, the five-time champion appears to be enhanced by the expected availability of Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, who were unable to play against England. In light of the fact that teams batting first have amassed totals of more than 350 in the last three matches at Wankhede, Australia will be depending on veteran opener David Warner to deliver.
Warner, who has scored 428 runs in seven matches with two hundreds and a fifty, will have to lead the side to a large total in this vital outing because he knows the conditions like the back of his hand. Australia has ample depth, even without Smith, and Travis Head has shown flashes of brilliance with 120 runs in two innings.
Making the most of the spin-friendly conditions, Afghanistan spun out Pakistan and England in Delhi and Chennai. That won’t happen at the Wankhede, though, as spinners haven’t really made a difference in the last few games when playing on a flat deck. Afghanistan must choose whether to put in pacer Naveen-ul Haq or play an extra spinner in Noor Ahmed in addition to regulars Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Zadran in such a situation.
Smith stated, “They (Afghanistan) have won some crucial moments in games against some good teams, and their spinners are obviously a big threat.” “They have some hitters who are taking the game on and can take it away from you, especially at the top of the order, and they are quality bowlers.”
Compared to 2019, when seven players were tested in the top three spots for nine games and scored 648 runs between them, the Afghan bats have assumed a larger role in this edition. This season, the team is off to a strong start thanks to the 730 runs that the top three players—Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz—have scored in seven games. However, the Afghan batsmen will be put to the test against a formidable Australian pace attack led by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
Recent form
Afghanistan – WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia – WWWWW
Key playes to watch: Rashid Khan and Mitchell Marsh
Rashid Khan, the attack talisman for Afghanistan, hasn’t performed at his peak level at this World Cup thus far. At 43.85, he has just seven wickets. Of all the bowlers from Afghanistan, only Mujeeb has a worse average, while Rashid has the lowest strike rate (57) of the lot. As he usually does, he has been applying pressure, giving up just 4.61 per over, sometimes giving way to players like Nabi and Noor.
However, he has only ever taken three wickets, and that was in an England match. He doesn’t appear to be a serious threat against Australia, whose hitters are familiar with him from their time together as BBL rivals and teammates.They are unlikely to be defeated by what they know because they have witnessed all of his techniques so frequently. His legbreak does not appear to inspire dread, and his wrong ‘un has not been the weapon it once was at this World Cup.
Despite being a familiar opponent for Australia in their previous match, Adil Rashid of England made a significant effect, taking 2 for 38 from 10 balls, which included the wickets of Josh Inglis and Steven Smith, the latter of whom fell victim to spin for the fifth time this tournament. Afghanistan will need Rashid to make an impact, particularly because Australia has a wealth of middle-order right-handers who complement Mujeeb and Nabi.
A peculiarity in Australia’s batting balance was shown by Mitchell Marsh’s innings against New Zealand and his absence against England. Beginning in the twentieth over against spin, he appeared lost. After opening in 11 of his 15 ODIs this year and batting three in the remaining four, it was his most recent appearance in an ODI. He didn’t enter the field after the tenth over until September in Bloemfontein, where he was out on the first ball to spin following a century stand between Warner and Travis Head.
However, Australia wants to capitalize on the fact that they lost Warner and Head early in the game, which left them without a power player for the powerplay against England. However, Marsh has had an extremely bad three years overall at No. 3. In contrast to his incredible record opening, he’s averaging just 17.60 there in 10 innings while striking at 73.06 with a maximum score of 36. On paper, Australia appears more formidable when he is in the starting lineup, but they would prefer that he settles into his No. 3 spot before the competition gets closer.
AUS vs AFG probable team XI
Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq/Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith/Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Pitch and conditions
Up until now in the World Cup, the Wankhede has proven to be a batsman’s dream, yielding first-inning runs of 399, 382 and 357. Mumbai is expected to see extreme heat, with highs of up to 37 degrees, and poor air quality.
Stats and trivia
- So far in the competition, the Wankhede has the greatest average of sixes per match. In three games, an average of 18.3 sixes were struck each game. The next highest is 17.5 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
- Adam Zampa already has the longest stretch of three or more wickets in World Cup matches, having done it in five straight games. With one more three-bagger, he will join Pakistan’s Umar Gul as the only players to have done it in six consecutive ODIs.
- As an opener, David Warner is 45 runs short of 18000 runs in all forms of international cricket. Only Sanath Jayasuriya and Chris Gayle have scored more than 18000 runs as openers in international cricket.
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