AUS vs NZ Live Score: And here comes a major blockbuster as two biggies of World Cricket, Australia & New Zealand are all set to lock horns in another nail-bitter fixture of ODI World Cup 2023 on October 28 on the grounds of Dharamsala. After a poor start, Australia has made a blasting comeback by winning three games at a trot & registering their No 4 position on the Points table. On the other hand, New Zealand suffered their first defeat of the tournament on Sunday. But this couldn’t abandon the fact that Kiwis are the top team of ODI World Cup 2023 as they are ruling the Points Table with nig wins. This will be a cracker contest with two dangerous sides battling to book a spot in the Playoffs.
AUS vs NZ Teams Preview
Australia Preview
Australia has been one of the best teams in World Cup history & they have proved why. Just a few days ago, Australia was having a lackluster time in the tournament & was lying at the bottom of the Points table after losing their first two games. But then they resulted in a turnaround by winning three games on a trot & fixed their position in the top four. In their last fixture, they defeated the Netherlands by a whopping 309 runs- the biggest margin of win in World Cup history. That massive win has also given a big boost to their NRR taking it to 1.142.
That victory was achieved thanks to blistering tons from David Warner (104 off 93 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (106 off 44 balls) which allowed Australia to post a colossal 399-8 on the board. Warner has smashed back-to-back centuries & is currently the third-highest run-scorer in ODI World Cup 2023 history with 332 runs from 5 innings at an average of 66.40. Maxwell scored his ton off 40 balls to become the fastest player to reach a World Cup Century. His form is a big boost for Australia.
Another batter who got some valuable runs under his belt in the match against Netherlands was Steve Smith. He was struggling to get going in the past few matches, but that knock of 71 off 68 balls will hold him in good stead. Australia’s bowling too is looking more dangerous with every fixture. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins form a terrific fast-bowling trio. They are three of the most prolific seamers in World Cricket & the Dharamsala will suit them perfectly. They will aim to scalp two-three wickets in the powerplay overs. Adam Zampa’s three consecutive four-fors have helped him to climb to top of the wicket-takers list in the tournament. He has regained his flow & wicket-taking form & enjoys a good record with 14 wickets in 8 ODIs against New Zealand.
Australia Predicted Playing XI:
David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne/Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
New Zealand Preview
New Zealand was sitting at the top of the World Cup Points table until the end of last week. But their loss against India in their last game & Proteas’s win against Bangladesh have pushed them to the number three spot. That won’t bother Black Caps as they still have eight points in the kitty with four games to go. Moreover, their NRR is impressive with 1.481 points.
Daryl Mitchell has been in terrific form over the last few months & has been New Zealand’s main middle-order batter in Kane Williamson’s absence. His stunning knock of 130 against India at Dharamsala was one of the best batting performances of the ODI World Cup 2023 & has taken him to 268 runs from 4 innings at an average of 89.33.
Spinning bowling all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has been the key batter of the Black Caps & their leading run-getter in the tournament with 290 runs in 5 innings at an average of 72.50. Ravindra has already hit one ton along with two fifties including a superb 75 in the last fixture against India. Opener Conway couldn’t perform in initial games but he is a quality player & has been in form. He can play an impactful knock & emerge victorious in this fixture. In the bowling department, its left-arm spinner, Mitchell Santner (12 wickets in 5 innings at 16.91), has impressed them most.
Santner is bowling well in these conditions & should be able to trouble the Australian batters too. However, it’s the performance of the pace trio of Trent Boult, Matt Henry, & Lockie Ferguson that will decide if New Zealand can clinch this game. The three are genuine wicket-takers but the Indian batters played them well. They need to bowl well in tandem to control the raging Australian batting unit.
New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
AUS vs NZ Pitch & Weather Conditions
The pitch at Dharamsala is a true haven for batters. It offers something for both pacers & batters. Semaers will get enough bounce off the wicket throughout the game while the batters need to be careful in the first 10 overs & once set they can go all the way smashing the bowlers across the ground. The weather in Dharamsala will be slightly hazy but pleasant and cool.
The average score at Dharamsala is 211 while the highest total scored at this venue is England’s 364-9 against Bangladesh. However, this isn’t traditionally a high-scoring ground. The average runs per over here is 5.21. The team batting first in this match should look to set a 280-300-run target.
Toss: To bowl first
The team winning the toss should opt to bowl first at this pitch. Out of eight ODIs played at the HPCA stadium, five have been won by the chasing side. This includes two games in this World Cup itself. While the pitch stays true for the most part, chasing does seem to be the better option here.
AUS vs NZ Winning prediction
Australia and New Zealand have met each other 11 times in the ICC ODI World Cup out of which Australia has emerged victorious in eight games while New Zealand has won three. Moreover, Australia have won each of their last five ODIs against the Black Caps. So it’s clearly evident that Australia has an edge over New Zealand in terms of Head-to-head records. But we can’t ignore New Zealand’s momentum as they are on top & they aren’t an easy team to beat. New Zealand looks well-balanced & potent with all boxes checked. But it will be interesting to see how their batters fare against Australia’s seamers on this wicket. Looking at the current stats & players’ form we predict New Zealand to win this clash
We predict New Zealand to win this clash.
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