Australia and Pakistan will lock horns at Taunton in the seventeenth fixture of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on Wednesday. Both the teams have played three games each and will be looking for a win to reach closer to the final four spots for the semi-finals.
Australia started their campaign with a massive 7 wickets win over Afghanistan and carried it forward with 15 runs win over Windies in the second encounter. However, their winning streak came to an end when they met India in the third encounter and suffered 36 runs defeat. In three games now, Australia has two wins and one defeat.
Pakistan had a horrendous start to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and was outplayed by Windies in their opening encounter. Pakistan faced 7 wickets defeat at the hands of Windies after folding up at a paltry 105 runs. However, they uplifted their confidence and clinched 14 runs win over England – the first favourites to lift the trophy. Their third game against Sri Lanka was washed out.
Australia vs Pakistan
Venue: County Ground, Taunton
Time: June 12, 03:00 PM
Both the teams have met each other on 103 occasions. With 67 wins Australia clearly has an upper hand. Pakistan has emerged out victorious only on 32 occasions.
Both the teams have met each other nine times in the World Cup. Unlike the ODIs, the contest in the World Cup is quite balanced. In nine games, Australia has won five while Pakistan has clinched 4 wins.
The weather at Taunton is not so pleasing for the cricket lovers. The weather forecasts indicate chances of rain and the game might get shortened. The overcast conditions will be helpful to pace bowlers and the team batting first might face difficulty in scoring freely, especially the top order.
The average score in the first innings at this ground: 214
The average score in second innings at this ground: 192
Australia squad to face Pakistan:
Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Pat Cummins
Pakistan squad to face Australia:
Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Imam Ul Haq, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Australia:
Alex Carey (wk), David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Nathan Coulter Nile, Mitchell Starc
Pakistan:
S Ahmed (c & wk), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi
David Warner | Steve Smith | Mitchell Starc
David Warner- David Warner has amassed 569 runs in 12 innings against Pakistan at an average of 47.42. His current form in the World Cup is also promising. In three innings, he has scored two fifties – 56 against India and 89* against Afghanistan
Steve Smith – Steve Smith has scored two fifties in three innings played in the World Cup so far – 73 against Windies and 69 against India. He has slammed 501 runs in 10 innings against Pakistan at an average of 55.67 and is a must-have pick in batting.
Mitchell Starc-Mitchell Starc was a bit expensive against India but is a key bowler for Aussie. In 9 innings against Pakistan, he has taken 21 scalps. He also took a five-fer against Windies and can be lethal with conditions in Taunton.
Babar Azam | Imam Ul Haq | Mohd Amir
Babar Azam- Babar Azam has scored 282 runs in 5 innings against Australia at an average of 56.40 and is the most promising batsmen. In 2019, he has scored 557 runs including 1 hundred and 4 fifty in 12 innings.
Imam Ul Haq – Imam Ul Haq has played only three innings against Australia and has managed 60 odd runs at an average around 20.00.
Mohammad Amir – Mohammad Amir will be the key in bowling. In two games played in the World Cup, he has bagged 5 wickets in total – 3/26 against Windies and 2/67 against England. Against Australia, he has bagged 12 wickets in 8 innings.