ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 37: NZ vs AUS – Australia Predicted Playing XI

Australia is a completely different team when they play the World Cup. Irrespective of the odds against them, they always turn up with some fabulous performances in the quadrennial event. This time was no different either just as it has been in the last two decades. They became the first team to qualify into the semi-final with two games still to be played.

The Kangaroos have only lost one game so far and have thoroughly asserted their dominance. In their next game, the Aussies will face New Zealand as they eye yet another win. The team has already given a go to all the 15 players in the squad and they will not want to experiment much. Instead, they will want to zero in on an eleven they’d feel can win them the tournament.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Australia

Openers (David Warner, Aaron Finch (c))

Australia has been quite fortunate with the kind of form David Warner and Aaron Finch are in at the moment. Both these players have been unstoppable in the tournament and have done the bulk of scoring for their team. While David Warner became the first batsman in this World Cup to score 500 runs, Finch is just 4 runs behind.

In their last five outings, both of them have scored over 400 runs each and consistently got Australia off to good starts. They would like to continue with the good work in the coming games as well and possibly seal a top spot in the points table. The middle order hasn’t been tested a great deal with these two doing so well.

Middle Order (Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Alex Carey (wk))

Usman Khawaja has batted with a lot of positive intent in the last two games. He isn’t taking up too many balls and is consistently rotating the strike. While he missed out on scoring big in the game against England, he will look to make up for it in the next match and get a big score. Steve Smith‘s opportunities, at number four, have been very much limited.

He hasn’t got to face as many deliveries as he used to do while batting at three. However, he has done well in whatever opportunity he’s had. In the last game, he scored 38 runs from only 34 balls and looked good. Alex Carey lived up to his role against England and finished the innings off on a great note. His knock, ultimately, made quite a difference and he should continue to play that way.

All Rounders (Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis)

Both Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are due for big knocks with the bat. While Maxwell has scored aggressively, he hasn’t been able to stay in the middle for a long time. Contrarily, Stoinis is consuming quite a few deliveries but isn’t making up for it by scoring some important runs towards the end.

This still leaves Australia with a huge concern even though they’ve qualified. The team hasn’t been able to finish the innings as per their liking and will need these two players to step up from here on. Stoinis has done a decent job with the ball and is delivering economical spells.

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon)

The Australian pace unit deserves a special mention for their efforts. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have regularly been leading the way for the team. In the last game, the left-arm pacer even picked up a four-wicket haul. Combining forces with this duo, Jason Behrendorff has added another great dimension to the attack.

Behrendorff is exceptional with the new ball and swings the ball a long way. He will surely look to pose troubles to the Kiwi openers. Although Nathan Lyon couldn’t pick up any wickets against England, he is likely to get another opportunity in the eleven to prove his mettle.