HYDERABAD, India: Australia have elected to bat first against Pakistan in a warm-up match being played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad ahead of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Till filing of this report Australia were 180 for 5 in 30 overs. David Warner scored 48 runs while Marnus Labuschange scored 40. Usama claimed two wickets while Haris and Nawaz settled for one wicket each. Alex Carey wicket keeper was run out for 11.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said the wicket looked great and shared his side’s batting plans after winning the toss.
“It looks like a good goal,” Cummins said.
“A good chance for a couple of our batsmen to spend some time in the middle. Having 50 overs, the bowlers can only bowl 10 overs, it brings some challenges.”
Pakistan will be led by Shadab Khan during the match while the regular captain Babar Azam will come in to bat only. Mohammad Rizwan has also been rested and Mohammad Haris will keep his stumps in place.
“He is fine, but Babar wanted to rest,” Shadab said.
“Babar and Rizwan are resting but I am the captain and I will make him [Babar] work hard [laughs]. We lost the last match but we would like to win today, winning is a habit.”
After losing the previous warm-up match against New Zealand by five wickets, Pakistan are eager to address their shortcomings in this game.
Meanwhile, Australia’s previous warm-up game against the Netherlands was called off due to rain.
This match is of great importance for both teams as it provides a valuable chance to improve tactics, evaluate player performance and adapt to current conditions in preparation for the prestigious tournament.
ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches consist of 50 overs per side. However, these matches will not have ODI status as teams have the flexibility to include all 15 members of their squad in the Playing XI.
