It is a big game in Cricket World Cup 2023 as Austalia take on Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru which will be hosting its first match of this edition today. Australia are coming into the contest on back of a superb win over Sri Lankans. Not to forget, Pat Cummins and Co got off to the worst-possible start in the World Cup, losing to India and South Africa in the first two encounters. But they showed massive improvement against the islanders, a couple of days back, are ready to beat Pakistan today in Bengaluru.
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Babar Azam's Pakistan may have got two wins in three games but there is a lot still to be done in terms of improvement on batting and bowling front. Pakistan are not firing collectively and that is a huge issue going into the Australia match. Shaheen Shah Afridi has lost touch, unable to do the damage to the opposition's batting lineup with the new ball. Haris Rauf leaked runs against India.
Batting powerhouses _ Fiery bowling attacks
Who's taking home two crucial #CWC23 points in Bengaluru?
Tune in to watch __ https://t.co/ObsrEL7ZMT #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/yuAOyJ90TP
— ICC (@ICC) October 20, 2023
To add more problems, some of the Pakistan players caught a flu and were down with fever for two days. Agha Salman has not yet recovered from the fever and will not be available for selection. This match is important for both the sides to regain or maintain the winning momentum.
Bengaluru Weather Report
The chances of rain washing out the World Cup clash between Australia and Pakistan are minimal. However, you could see clouds floating over Bengaluru throughout the day. The maximum temperature in Bengaluru on Friday could be 30 degree celcius while the minimum could be 19. The humidity level will be 75 percent and the wind is likely to blow at 12 km/h during the match.
M Chinnaswamy pitch report
Traditionally, Chinnaswamy wicket has supported batting. The ground size is also in favour of the batter as the boundaries are short on both sides of the wicket. Home to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Indian Premier League (IPL), they themselves fail to stop the flow of runs. Defending is a huge task in Bengaluru for the same reason. The team winning the toss should look to bowl first and chase down a target. Especially, Pakistan should look to chase as their bowling in a cause of worry for them right now. Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell have played a lot of cricket here on this ground and their inputs could turn out to be quite handy in this match for the five-time champions.
