The rain has finally started to make its impact in the 12th edition of World Cup, as rain spoils the second match in this tournament, with this eventually South Africa open its account in points tally after four matches, as South Africa and West Indies get one point each.
Match 17 of the round-robin will see revival seeking Australia take on confident Pakistan.
Australia slipped to no. 4 spot after a defeat against India, which put an end to their 10 matches winning streak, whereas Pakistan is at no. 7 spot who had to sacrifice their last game to rain.
The two teams have a fair record against each other in World Cups, as out of 9 matches played so far, Australia has won 5 and Pakistan 4, and a win for Pakistan on Wednesday will make it alike.
Match Details
Australia vs Pakistan, Match 17
12 June, 3:00 PM IST
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch is expected to provide assistance to fast bowlers, which might tempt captain winning the toss to bowl first.
Cloud cover is expected throughout the day, with even chances of rain which might result in a shortened version of the game.
Squads
Australia
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon.
Pakistan
Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman.
Team News
Australia
Though Australia had to face a defeat in the last match to India, they’re still strong, they have played with same playing 11 all the three matches, meaning this is their best playing 11.
Steve Smith may not have won over spectators but he is having a terrific form since his comeback, David Warner is performing well too.
Alex Carey’s unbeaten 55 against India has surely injected some more confidence in the long batting order.
With the ball, Cummins and Starc are doing a decent job and providing timely breakthroughs.
Australia will seek a win on Wednesday to justify their defending champion's title.
Pakistan
After being frustrated with rain-abandoned match, they will be hoping to show the same intensity on the ground as they showed up against England.
So far Pakistan has been unpredictable, owing to their stunning bounce back from massive first match defeat.
Pakistan was recently white-washed by Aaron Finch’s led side two months back, Pakistan will look to take timely revenge on such a big stage.
Pakistan has discovered a balanced playing 11 after first match defeat, as top order is doing a decent job, and Amir and Wahab are living up to the expectations.
Fantasy Prediction
Sarfaraz Ahmed, Steve Smith, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Wahab Riaz, and Mohammad Amir. Captain: Aaron Finch, Vice Captain: Babar Azam.
