Okay, this is the big one – Australia vs. Pakistan. Well, maybe not so big – the India vs. Pakistan clash this Sunday is much bigger. Still, not a bad match to watch. Only thing – let’s hope it doesn’t rain today at Taunton.
Too many matches have been washed out in this World Cup. People are just getting frustrated and if this continues, the World Cup 2019 in England will be remembered as the worst tournament in the history of cricket.
Of course, nobody really can do anything about rain, but ICC should have known that it rains in June and July in England! Imagine scheduling cricket’s biggest tournament at the very worst time! Who is to blame for this? ICC alone. They have made a mess of cricket’s flagship event.
It’s no surprise that there is very little buzz about this World Cup 2019. In England, nobody seems to know what’s going on. Regardless, we will do our best to inject some interest into this tournament. Let’s talk about this Australia vs. Pakistan match.
Almost all sides are in contention for the semi-final spots and this includes both Australia and Pakistan. The game is wide open. Any of the 8 teams could make it, and any 4 could miss out.
Pakistan are a mercurial outfit, completely unpredictable, up one day and down the next. They have a very good mix of youth and experience with the likes of Shoaib Malik guiding the youngsters in the team.
Australia are dangerous as well. They have match winners in all positions with even someone batting at no. 8 such as Nathan Coulter-Nile capable of getting a hundred. Coulter-Nile’s main job however is bowling, and he faces the sack for this match as he hasn’t done much with the ball in hand.
The Teams
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jason Behrendorff
Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shadab Khan, 11 Mohammad Amir
Match Conditions
Taunton is well known for its perfect batting pitch. But the forecast is for a cloudy day, so we will be more than happy to see a full day’s match. Unlikely though.
Prediction: Hard to tell – Pakistan are unpredictable, they blow hot and cold. Australia are more solid, and we expect them to win this one.
