Australia will take on Bangladesh in match number 43 of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, November 11. This will be the first match of the double-header, with England taking on Pakistan later in the day. Australia are third in the points table, with 12 points from eight matches. They began the tournament with two losses but have since been on a six-match winning spree. In their last game, they came back from 91/7 to register a three-wicket win over Afghanistan courtesy of Glenn Maxwell’s brilliance.
While Australia have confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup for knocked out Bangladesh, it will be about trying to secure a berth in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Beating Australia, however, will be no mean feat. The Aussies have only gone down to Bangladesh once in ODIs, which was way back in 2005 in Cardiff. To make matters worse, they will be without skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who has been ruled out of the game due to injury. The team will take some confidence from the three-wicket win over Sri Lanka. Here are five player battles to watch out for in the Australia-Bangladesh clash.
David Warner vs Tanzim Hasan Sakib
Australian opener David Warner has had an impressive run in the 2023 World Cup, overcoming a poor start to the tournament. After three underwhelming scores, he had some luck against Pakistan and ended up hammering a scintillating 163. He followed it up with 104 against Netherlands and 81 versus New Zealand. In the last two matches, though, he has been dismissed cheaply, falling for 15 and 18 against England and Afghanistan, respectively. Warner would want to get back among the runs against Bangladesh.
Young Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib has been in and out of the team’s ODI squad lately. He was included for the game against Sri Lanka and responded with figures of 3/80. While Tanzim was expensive in the overall analysis, he did chip in with some crucial wickets. He knocked over Pathum Nissanka and also got the scalp of Charith Asalanka. Warner will look to take him on, which also brings Tanzim in the game. Can he find a way of getting the better of the Aussie white-ball legend?
Litton Das vs Josh Hazlewood
Experienced Bangladesh batter Litton Das’ international career has been a case of what could have been. He is immensely talented, but has failed to utilize his stills to the optimum level. This World Cup, too, has been a demonstration of the same. Das has got a number of starts and has looked impressive during a number of his knocks. At the end of the day, though, the aggressive batter has only two half-centuries to show for his efforts. He scored 76 against England and 66 versus India. Das will be keen to come up with a performance worthy of his talent against Australia.
It would be fair to say that Josh Hazlewood has done what has been expected of him in the 2023 World Cup. The right-arm pacer has chipped in with key wickets at crucial junctures in almost every game, bringing his experience into play. In eight matches so far, he has picked up 12 wickets. Hazlewood began with a three-for against India, albeit in a losing cause, but hasn’t looked back since. In Australia’s last three matches, he has claimed two scalps each. Hazlewood would back himself to get the better of Das. Will this battle play according to the script?
Marnus Labuschagne vs Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Marnus Labuschagne has been a key batter for Australia in the middle-order, particularly with Steve Smith struggling for runs. And to think that he was not even part of the team’s original 15-member squad, only getting in because of the injury to Ashton Agar. The 29-year-old maverick batter has scored two crucial fifties – 62 against Netherlands and 71 versus England. However, like Das, he, too, hasn’t converted his other starts. A big knock could be around the corner for Labuschagne. Will it come against Bangladesh, just ahead of the knockouts?
Off-spinning all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has blown hot and cold for the team in the ongoing World Cup. If we talk about his bowling, he has picked up 10 scalps in eight matches. He kicked off the tournament with a 3/25 in the win over Afghanistan. After a few disappointing games, he picked up 2/47 against Pakistan. Mehidy again went off the boil before claiming 3/60 versus Pakistan. Bangladesh will bank on him in the middle overs as they look to restrict Labuschagne. Can Mehidy deliver the goods?
Mahmudullah vs Adam Zampa
Veteran Bangladesh batter Mahmudullah has been among the few positives for the team in the batting department. In six innings, the 37-year-old has smashed 296 runs at an average of 59.20. Batting down the order, the aggressive right-hander has registered scores of 41 not out, 46, 111, 20, 56 and 22. Having failed to convert his recent starts, Mahmudullah will look to sign off from the World Cup on a high.
Leggie Adam Zampa has been absolutely brilliant for Australia with his consistency in wicket-ability, bamboozling one opposition after another. He is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, with 20 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.20. After three consecutive four-fors, he claimed two three-fors. He will be confident in standing up to the Mahmudullah challenge.
Marcus Stoinis vs Shoriful Islam
In Glenn Maxwell’s likely absence, there will be additional responsibility on Marcus Stoinis to deliver the goods in the death overs. The hard-hitting batter has chipped in with a few handy cameos, registering a best of 35 against England. He might have a bigger role to play on Saturday.
Young Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam has made a few impressive contributions with the ball. He has claimed a decent 10 wickets in eight games, although he has been expensive in some matches. Shoriful has the knack of picking up crucial scalps. Can he add Stoinis to his kitty?