Familiar foes Australia and New Zealand will face off in match 26 of 48 in the 2023 Cricket World Cup at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday morning.
Australia, after a sluggish start to the competition, have improved significantly, securing three consecutive victories to solidify their position at number four in the points table, while the Kiwis suffered their first defeat in the competition against India last Sunday but are still holding firm in third place.
Match preview
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The Aussies began their World Cup campaign with back-to-back losses, first against the tournament favourites India in the competition's opening match in Chennai, followed by a comprehensive loss to South Africa a few days later.
At that point, Australia were languishing near the bottom of the standings but have since shown why they can never be counted out, picking up three victories on the trot while seeming to be peaking at just the right time.
The Baggy Greens dominated the Netherlands with a staggering 309-run victory in their last match, marking the largest margin of victory in World Cup history, and that result also elevated their net run rate, which now stands at +1.142.
David Warner has found form of late, scoring his second century of the tournament against the Netherlands, while fellow batsmen like Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh have also made significant contributions at various points.
The pace-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood have also returned to their formidable best, complemented by legspinner Adam Zampa, who, with three consecutive four-wicket hauls, has shot to the top of the wicket-takers list in the competition.
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Meanwhile, New Zealand occupied the top spot in the standings until the end of last week, but their loss against India, coupled with South Africa's commanding victory over Bangladesh, have resulted in the Kiwis slipping to the number three position.
Nevertheless, it is not yet time for them to panic as they are still sitting on eight points with four games remaining, and their impressive net run rate of +1.481 gives them a favourable position heading into the latter stages of the round-robin matches.
The Blackcaps have notably managed good performances from each department, with most of their batters delivering consistently, while the likes of Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry are ranked in the top five wicket-takers in the competition to date.
Against India, the Kiwis were well in the contest for the majority of the match, but the solid bowling lineup of the host nation restricted them to just 273, which the Indians chased down with four wickets and 12 balls to spare.
Still, the Kiwis will not be deterred by that result and will be quietly confident in their chances here against an Aussie side that have already shown that they are capable of the odd collapse in this tournament.
Team News
Marsh missed out against the Netherlands in the last match but should team up with Warner at the top of the order again here, with Smith, Labuschagne and Josh Inglis providing the middle-order cover.
Glenn Maxwell showed why he is one of the most destructive players in the game in the last match, scoring 106 in just 44 balls, and he will almost certainly retain his spot at number six.
Rachin Ravindra recorded another solid knock against India, with 75 of 87 balls, while Daryl Mitchell scored an excellent 130 off 127 balls, and both players will be expected to excel in the top order again here.
Lockie Ferguson will likely be given the new ball once again after picking up 2/63 in the last match, while Santner and Henry will be looking to add onto their 12 and 10 wickets, respectively, in this tournament.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Series so far
Australia
Match one: Australia lost by 6 wickets
Australia - 199 (49.3)
India - 201/4 (41.2)
Match Two: Australia lost by 134 runs
South Africa - 311/7 (50)
Australia - 177 (40.5)
Match Three: Australia won by 5 wickets
Sri Lanka - 209 (43.3)
Australia - 215/5 (35.2)
Match Four: Australia won by 62 runs
Australia - 367/9 (50)
Pakistan - 305 (45.2)
Match Five: Australia won by 309 runs
Australia - 399/8 (50)
Netherlands - 90 (21)
New Zealand
Match One: New Zealand won by 9 wickets
England - 282/9 (50)
New Zealand - 283/1 (36.2)
Match Two: New Zealand won by 99 runs
New Zealand - 322/7 (50)
Netherlands - 223 (46.3)
Match Three: New Zealand won by 8 wickets
Bangladesh - 245/9 (50)
New Zealand - 248/2 (42.5)
Match Four: New Zealand won by 149 runs
New Zealand - 288/6 (50)
Afghanistan - 139 (34.4)
Match Five: New Zealand lost by 4 wickets
New Zealand - 273 (50)
India - 274/6 (48)
We say: New Zealand to win
While it is difficult to back against the five-time world champions, the Kiwis have been one of the most eye-catching sides in this competition. Their biggest strength is that they have not been dependent on just a few key individuals, with several players stepping up with big contributions when needed. This should be an entertaining watch, but we fancy New Zealand to claim the points in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
