ICC World Cup 2019: Match 17, Australia vs Pakistan, Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

Marcus Stoinis won't play the game as he has a side strain.

Published - 11 Jun 2019, 18:52 IST | Updated - 11 Jun 2019, 18:52 IST

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Australia played exceptionally to win their first two matches of the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. After their thumping victory against Afghanistan, the Windies gave the Aussies a run for their money. However, Aaron Finch and Co emerged victorious by 15 runs. Nevertheless, India made them taste their first defeat of the mega event as they lost the encounter by 36 runs at the Kennington Oval.

Their next opponent is Pakistan at The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. The Men in Green started with a shambolic show versus the Windies, but shocked one and all, rolling over host and favourites England in Nottingham. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Co were unlucky as their match against Sri Lanka got washed off. Placed seven in the points table, Pakistan can’t afford a goof-up by any means.

Weather Report

Like every other day, the forecast isn’t pleasant by any means. There are chances of downpour throughout the day from the morning at 9 AM until the end of the day. The clouds will make the atmosphere gloomy. The temperature will be in between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius. The humidity is expected to be in the 70s and 80s.

Pitch Report

The track in the previous match turned out to be a good one for batting. The venue hosted its first ODI ever since the 1999 World Cup. The other day, there wasn’t much for the bowlers and batting wasn’t difficult. Teams are most likely to field first after winning the toss. The DLS method may also come into play due to the adverse weather conditions.

Playing combinations

Australia

The Aussies are most likely to bring in Kane Richardson, who did well in the warm-up matches. The speedster will replace Marcus Stoinis, who has been ruled out of the game owing to a side strain. David Warner and Aaron Finch have looked in decent touch. Usman Khawaja batted at number four in the previous game below Steve Smith, who’s been in jaw-dropping touch of late.

Glenn Maxwell adds the X-factor in the batting lineup. Alex Carey was impressive with the bat the last time as he played the big shots pretty effectively. Nathan Coulter-Nile hasn’t done well, especially with the ball and he’ll be desperate to make amends. The onus will be on pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to get the early breakthroughs. Adam Zampa is the lone spinner.

Probable XI

David Warner, Aaron Finch (C), Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Pakistan

Pakistan may not make changes to their eleven. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman are the opening batsmen and both are in decent enough touch. Babar Azam needs to be at his very best as he is a vital cog in the team. Mohammad Hafeez also came back to form with a match-winning knock versus the Aussies. Sarfaraz Ahmed isn’t in the poorest of forms either.

Asif Ali can hit the ball hard and inject momentum into the innings. Shoaib Malik may need to play a massive role if Pakistan loses a few early wickets. Mohammad Amir returning to form will come as a breather for the Men in Green. Wahab Riaz has also bowled with speeds and ferocity. Shadab Khan’s responsibility will be to restrict the batsmen in the middle overs.

Probable XI

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & WK), Asif Ali, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir.