ICC World Cup 2019: Match 26, Australia vs Bangladesh, Preview – The Tigers eye an Aussie upset to fine tune their chances in the tournament

The head-to-head record suggests that Australia is far more superior to Bangladesh in terms of results of the games.

Published - 19 Jun 2019, 12:41 IST | Updated - 19 Jun 2019, 12:41 IST

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The last time Australia and Bangladesh were slated to meet each other in a World Cup game, rain played spoilsport. That game at the Brisbane had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. It could be no different this time either and rain is expected to be a visitor at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. However, the chances of rain are 50-50 and there is a good possibility that we will witness a result this time around. Except for this World Cup fixture in 2015, these two teams never met each other in any other ODI game in the last four years.

With a good cloud cover and high levels of humidity, the ball is expected to do a lot of talking. Australia won their previous two games quite comprehensively and will be fancying a third one in a row. Bangladesh, though, seemed to have got back on the track when they chased down 322 runs against Windies and won’t be an easy opposition to beat. It is should be a great contest if the Asian team continues to play as it has been doing through the course of this tournament.

Playing Combinations

Australia

Australia has got some important calls to take for this upcoming fixture. Marcus Stoinis is likely to be back as per the indications from the head coach, Justin Langer. Thus, he is likely to replace Shaun Marsh in the eleven while Usman Khawaja will get more opportunities. Also, there is a possibility of bringing in a spinner given the kind of surface at Trent Bridge. Nathan Lyon could be the preferred choice over Adam Zampa considering the fact that the top-three batsmen of the opposition are left-handers.

Probable XI

David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh will not want to tinker around winning combination which performed so well against the Windies. Shakib Al Hasan, batting at number three, will be the key. Liton Das’ return into the eleven and him delivering the required goods straightaway has ensured that his place in the team is cemented at least for now. Since there are quite a few left-handers in the opposition, Mehidy Hasan will have an important role to play. Meanwhile, Mashrafe Mortaza will look to catch up with some form soon.

Probable XI

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mustafizur Rahman.

Focus will be on

David Warner (Australia)

A lot of eyes will watch David Warner keenly as he steps onto the field to bat in this game. The former Australian vice-captain was extremely criticised for his sluggish knock against India. Amidst all the criticism, he came back strong in the next game against Pakistan and also scored a wonderful hundred. But yet again, against Sri Lanka, he got out for a mediocre scoring rate after eating up a lot of deliveries.

Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh’s wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim started off well with a 78 in the first game against South Africa. But since then, he’s blown hot and cold. While he scored only 19 against New Zealand, he looked good with a 44 versus England. However, he failed against the Windies where he got just 1 run. He is an extremely important part of the middle order and should look to play better and consistent cricket.