ICC Men’s CWC 2023: Australia and Pakistan play ODI against each other in India after 34 years
The 18th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between Australia and Pakistan on October 20 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The two teams will go into this match with contrasting results in their previous outing. While Australia have finally found the secret to success, having registered their first win of this World Cup by beating Sri Lanka by five wickets at Lucknow, Pakistan, on the other hand, suffered a crushing defeat, which was their first in this World Cup, as they went down to their arch rivals India by seven wickets at Ahmedabad, which was packed to the rafters.
Head-to-Head
Australia and Pakistan have played 107 ODIs against each other between 1975 and 2022, of which Australia have won 69, Pakistan have won 34, one match ended in a tie, and three did not produce results. Looking at the last five ODIs played between these two teams, Australia won the first three, whereas Pakistan won the last two.
In India, these two teams have played just the one ODI and Pakistan have won that match. It was played in 1989 at Brabourne in Mumbai when Pakistan beat Australia by 66 runs. In this World Cup, they will once again come face to face after 34 years. At the World Cups between 1975 and 2019, of the 10 ODIs played between Australia and Pakistan, Australia have won six and Pakistan have won four.
| Particulars | Australia | Pakistan |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 4 | 2 |
| Wins in ODIs | 69 | 34 |
| Wins in ODIs (in India) | 0 | 1 |
| Wins in ODIs (at World Cups) | 6 | 4 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 so far…
Australia and Pakistan will play their fourth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Both teams have had exact contrasting starts to their World Cup campaign. While Australia have lost their first two matches and won their third, Pakistan have won their first two matches and lost their third.
| Match number | Australia | Pakistan |
| 1 | Lost to India by 6 wickets | Beat Netherlands by 81 runs |
| 2 | Lost to South Africa by 134 runs | Beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets |
| 3 | Beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets | Lost to India by 7 wickets |
Squads
Australia: 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.
Pakistan: 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.
Injury updates
Australia’s Travis Head, who has not travelled to India for the World Cup is still recovering from a fractured hand. On the other hand, Pakistan have a lot of problems since many players are affected by a viral infection. Opening batter Abdullah Shafique is in quarantine in his room, while Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, and Zaman Khan are among the others to be affected. Besides, Usama Mir was unavailable for India match as he was down with flu. Fortunately for Pakistan, none of these players have shown dengue symptoms and are expected to be available for selection for the Australia game.
Playing conditions
M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the encounter between Australia and Pakistan. It will be a day night match. While Australia will play their 11th ODI at this venue, having won four, lost five, and one match not producing a result, Pakistan will play their third, having won one and lost the other. Pakistan last played an ODI in Bengaluru in 1999.
The venue will host its first game of this tournament. So far, it has hosted 26 ODIs, with teams batting first winning 11, teams batting second winning 12, one match ending in a tie, and two matches not producing result. It is one of the smallest grounds in India, so expect a high scoring match with plenty of fours and sixes.
Weather
The weather is expected to see hazy sun. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 31 degrees Celsius. The cloud cover will be 12% and there could be 4% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the east-northeast.
Players to watch out for
For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne has been their only batter to score more than 100 runs in the first three matches of this World Cup. He has scored 113 runs at an average of 38 and strike rate of 65. Among the bowlers, left arm medium pace bowler Mitchell Starc is the most successful for Australia with five wickets in three matches. He is also the most successful bowler in the World Cups in the current team.
For Pakistan, their wicket-keeper and middle-order batter Mohammad Rizwan has been their most prolific batter. He has scored 248 runs in three matches at an average of 124 and strike rate of 94. Among the bowlers, right arm medium pace bowler Hasan Ali has been impressive with seven wickets in three matches. He has bowled consistent lines and lengths and yielded rich dividends.
Milestone alert
Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan needs 59 runs to complete 2000 ODI runs
Pakistan’s Hasan Ali needs 2 wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets
Australia’s David Warner needs 38 runs to complete 6500 ODI runs
Australia’s Adam Zampa needs 3 wickets to complete 150 ODI wickets
Australia’s Steve Smith needs 101 runs to complete 1000 runs in World Cups
Australia’s Marcus Stoinis needs 75 runs to complete 1500 ODI runs
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne needs 119 runs to complete 1500 ODI runs
Match details
Date: October 20, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Chennai
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo