Australia and Bangladesh face off in the 43rd match of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup on Saturday, November 11, at the MCA Stadium in Pune. It’s a 10:30 AM IST game, with the all-important ENG-PAK clash to follow later in the day.
Players playing in Match 42: Kagiso Rabada (BOWL) (SA), Azmatullah Omarzai (ALL) (AFG), Gerald Coetzee (BOWL) (SA), Marco Jansen (ALL) (SA) (benched), and Heinrich Klaasen (WK) (SA).
Captain: Azmatullah Omarzai. | Vice-captain: Kagiso Rabada.
Total Points: 18,775.5.
SA bowling first and Marco Jansen getting rested resulted in me opting to get Rabada over QDK. But apart from it being an unlucky outing for the speedster, De Kock had a terrific day behind the stumps and looked in ominous touch with the bat. I have Mohammad Nabi to thank for halting him in his tracks, although the reason I didn’t bring him in was the strength of that very Afghan spin attack.
In that sense, I admit Azmatullah Omarzai certainly exceeded my expectations with his batting effort, continuing his stellar tournament, and was unlucky not to get a ton. Coetzee continues to impress too, and we could see more fiery efforts from him in the semifinal and hopefully, the final.
For the AUS-BAN match, I own three players and should add two more.
Transfer Deadline: 10:30 am IST, Saturday, November 11.
Note: The suggested team is subject to change depending on the toss or other unexpected team news. Any such changes will be updated for the next match day.
Transfers
Transfers Made: 2. | Transfers Remaining: 8.
1) Azmatullah Omarzai (ALL) (AFG) – OUT | Mitchell Marsh (ALL) (AUS) – IN
2) Pathum Nissanka (BAT) (SL) – OUT | Josh Hazlewood (BOWL) (AUS) – IN
I think Australia steamroll Bangladesh in this contest even if they rest some of their key players, although I don’t think they can afford to do that, given their injury crisis.
Maybe Maxwell is rested for Cameron Green or Sean Abbott potentially gets a game. But with Starc and Zampa going for runs in the last match, they’ll want to get back into their rhythm ahead of the semifinal and should feature in the playing XI.
Mitch Marsh and Hazlewood are the two players I want to bring in. Hazlewood has had success against Bangladesh in the T20I format, and his nagging lengths and extra bounce could really trouble the Bangladesh batters.
Mitchell Marsh has gotten off to a couple of starts but hasn’t made a big score yet, playing in that No. 3 position. This game could provide him the opportunity to do so, with the left-arm spin threat of Shakib absent, and against a Bangladesh side that has been putting in some below-par performances.
Mehidy Hasan is probably the only Bangladesh player I’d consider getting in since he should bat up the order in Shakib’s absence, but I don’t see him having much success against the Aussie bowling attack.
2023 World Cup Fantasy – Best Fantasy XI for Match 43 –
AUS vs BAN: Thoughts and captaincy tips
Players playing in Match 43: David Warner (BAT) (AUS), Adam Zampa (BOWL) (AUS), Mitchell Starc (BOWL) (AUS), Mitchell Marsh (ALL) (AUS), and Josh Hazlewood (BOWL) (AUS).
I’m likely to captain Warner, regardless of the toss, as one of my pre-tournament predictions was that he would score a hundred against Bangladesh. The vice-captain’s slot could go anywhere, and that’s more reliant on the toss and team news.
Other players
Joe Root (BAT) (ENG) | Next Fixture: vs PAK, Match 44
Dawid Malan (BAT) (ENG) | Next Fixture: vs PAK, Match 44
Marco Jansen (ALL) (SA) | Next Fixture: vs AUS, Match 47
Trent Boult (BOWL) (NZ) | Next Fixture: TBC
Gerald Coetzee (BOWL) (SA) | Next Fixture: vs AUS, Match 47
Heinrich Klaasen (WK) (SA) | Next Fixture: vs AUS, Match 47