Australia won the toss and opted to bat first in their second and last warm-up game of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Pakistan at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins stated that the wicket looks great and talked about his side’s batting plans.
“Looks like a good wicket,” said Cummins after winning the toss. “Good chance for a couple of our batters to spend some time in the middle. Having 50 overs, bowlers can only bowl 10 overs, brings some challenges.”
Shadab Khan is leading Pakistan as Babar Azam may take the field to bat only while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan will rest in this match and Mohammad Haris will keep the stumps.
“He is okay but Babar wanted a rest,” said Shadab. “Babar and Rizwan are resting but I am the captain and will make him [Babar] work hard [laughs]. We lost the last game but would want to win today, winning is a habit.”
Following a defeat in their previous warm-up match against New Zealand by five wickets, Pakistan will be eager to address their shortcomings in this game.
Meanwhile, Australia’s prior warm-up clash against the Netherlands was called off due to rain.
The ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches will consist of 50 overs per side. However, these matches won’t have ODI status because teams will have the flexibility to include all 15 members of their squad in the playing XI.
