Australia are going strong and have crossed 200 without loss of wicket after being put into bat first by Pakistan in the 18th match of the world cup.
This is the highest opening pair partnership in any World Cup.
Both opening batsmen Warner and Marsh have displayed batting skills with a couple of boundaries, giving a tough time to Pakistan’s pace attack.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first against Australia in one of the biggest matches of the tournament. They brought Usama Mir in place of vice captain Shadab – the only change in the squad which played the last match.
Pre-match coverage
Pakistan captain Babar Azam will be watched closely in the clash against Australia as he has only scored one fifty against India in the previous game in this World Cup.
The battle of the two cricket powerhouses promises to deliver thrill and excitement to the fans in the stands and around the world. Pakistan are placed fourth on the 10-team points table with two wins from three matches.
Australia’s chances of making the semi-finals of the World Cup could well hinge on the outcome of this game against Pakistan.
Defeats to India and South Africa in their opening two matches mean that Pat Cummins’ side can likely only afford to lose a maximum of two more games and quite possibly just one more in the remainder of their group-stage fixtures if they are to stand a chance of finishing in the top four spots.
And a loss to Pakistan, who already have two wins to their name, would be a particularly significant blow to the five-time winners’ hopes of adding a sixth title to their country’s men’s Cricket World Cup tally.
Pakistan’s disappointing loss to India last time out was a setback after a strong start. But victory over the Aussies would help Babar Azam’s side pull clear over their rivals in the race for the semi-final spots as they approach the halfway stage of their group campaign.
Pakistan’s captain currently tops the MRF Tyres ODI Men’s Batting Rankings, but his form hasn’t quite clicked so far at the tournament.
A fine half-century against India showed glimpses of Babar hitting his stride after disappointing returns against Netherlands and Sri Lanka. Still, he’ll want to be making bigger contributions than that going forward.
In all likelihood his team will need bigger contributions from the skipper too, if they are to stand a chance of making the top four. And there would be no better time for a Babar special than in this key fixture.
Nineteen career ODI hundreds and an average of 57.02 in the format suggest that big runs are just around the corner.
Squads
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
