Australia takes on Pakistan in ODI 18 of the current 2023 World Cup in Chennai on Friday with the goal of extending their winning streak. With only one victory in their previous three games, Pat Cummins and company are now ranked in the bottom part of the standings. They lost to India by six wickets in their first game before being destroyed by South Africa by 134 runs in their subsequent encounter.
Australia had to battle hard against Sri Lanka in a game that started out close but ended up being quite one-sided. Josh Inglis, who stole the show during Australia’s 216-run chase by hitting 58 runs off 59 balls, packed with five fours and a six, will be the center of attention. As Australia reached 215/5 in 35.2 overs, with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis providing the closing touches, it turned out to be crucial.
Pathum Nissanka (61) and Kusal Perera (78), the openers, both scored half-centuries as Sri Lanka first amassed 209 in 43.3 overs. But with a four-wicket haul in the first innings, Adam Zampa emerged as Australia’s game-changer.
Pakistan, on the other side, has performed better, although its campaign was uneven. In their first match, Babar Azam and company defeated Netherlands by 81 runs before defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets. In their third match, against the hosts India in Ahmedabad, their winning streak came to a stop. The performance of skipper Babar was one of the positives the Pakistan management could take back to the drawing board despite the loss.
Babar eventually rediscovered his groove against India after two disappointing performances in the previous two games, scoring 50 runs off 58 balls. Hasan Ali, who is fifth in wicket-takers with seven dismissals, will also be crucial for Pakistan.
ODI head-to-head matches
Australia has a 69-34 head-to-head advantage over Pakistan after 107 ODI matches between the two teams. Three games have already finished without a decision, while one match has been tied.
History of the ODI World Cup, head-to-head
Australia and Pakistan have played each other ten times in ODI World Cup history, with the former winning six of those games. Pakistan has defeated Australia four times in the meanwhile.
Did you realize?
The team that lost the toss has triumphed in each of Australia’s and Pakistan’s previous six meetings in ODI World Cup matches.