AUS vs NZ (3rd Jan’20)

It’s the 3rd Test in the 3-Match Test Series between Australia and New Zealand.

Australia has already won the series 2-0 and they would be looking to get a clean-sweep in the series.

Under normal circumstances, the benched players are most likely to be given a game considering that the result won’t make a lot of impact on deciding the winner of this series.

Stats –

Marnus Labuschagne has amused everyone with his consistency and has scored 1 century and 2 half centuries in 4 innings, with a total of 285 runs to his name, the highest run scorer amongst the two teams in this series.

Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have taken 11 and 10 wickets each respectively being the highest wicker takers for Australia, and on the other hand, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee have taken 12 and 14 wickets respectively being the highest wicket takers for the Kiwis.

Probable XIs –

Aus – Warner, Burns, Labuschagne, Smith, Paine(C&Wk), Neser, Head, Cummins, Pattinson, Lyon, Siddle

NZ – Blundell(Wk), Raval, Williamson, Nicholls, Taylor, Grandhomme, Astle, Henry, Wagner, Southee, Somerville

Possible Replacements –

Aus – Michel Neser coming in for Matthew Wade. Peter Siddle coming in for Mitchell Starc.

(Mitchell Starc can be rested and having Paine in the side who’s a surety to play being the captain, Wade can be rested to give a chance to Neser)

NZ – Matt Henry, Todd Astle, William Sommerville and Jeet Raval coming in for Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham and BJ Watling.

(Benched players can be drafted into the XI for this final match of the test series which is not a deciding encounter, in place of the players they are perfect backups to, for the replacement)

Key Features –

1. A sad and an unfortunate way for Rohit Sharma to get out early on in the innings.

2. Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Haardik Pandya the reasons for their score to reach a 268 in 50 overs. Their individual scores were 72(82), 56(61)* and 46(38) respectively. MS Dhoni was once at 20(40) and scored 36 runs in just 21 deliveries to show why is he considered to be the best finisher. Lokesh Rahul gave a good start, but missed his well-deserved half-ton, and ended up scoring a 48(64).

3. A great spell by Kemar Roach and Jason Holder to put pressure on the Indian batsmen with wickets early on and conceding at an economy rate of less than 4. Their spells were 10-0-36-3 and 10-2-33-2 respectively.

4. Early wickets by Mohammad Shami of two key players, Gayle and Hope, always kept India on the upper edge from the very start. His spell was 4/16(6.2).

5. All the Indian bowlers just demolished the West Indian batsmen ranging from Shami to Bumrah to the spin twins and Haardik! Bumrah continues to bowl his double-wicket maiden overs to change the fate of the game. First did it against Shahidi and Rahmat, and today against Brathwaite and Allen. Number 1 ODI bowler for a reason it seems!

Post-Match Analysis –

1. India, with this win, are the only team to stay undefeated in this tournament and have equalled their level of points with New Zealand, even though they’ve played a game less than them.

2. India is now a step closer to the qualification for the playoffs and just need one more win in their remaining 3 games against England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, those teams which are fighting for a spot in the playoffs and are very close to each other in terms of the points table.

3. West Indies have already been eliminated from the tournament and they are yet to play Sri Lanka, so they have all the chances to damage their chances of qualification without anything affecting theirs.

4. India are now placed 2nd on the points table and they play their next against England on Sunday. This would also be their first game where they would wear an orange jersey.

5. Mohammad Shami has now taken 8 wickets in 2 matches, with 4 in each. I don’t think Bhuvi is really being missed with such an exceptional piece of bowling by this lad out here! He probably could’ve been on the top wicket-takers list as well if he had played all the games.

Up Next –

Sri Lanka vs South Africa

Sri Lanka would be looking forward to grasp their chance to win this battle and stay in the light of making it to the playoffs. On the other hand, South Africa have no pressure on playing this game and are just coming off a huge loss against Pakistan, which would make them more threatening to play against, than before.

It’s just been Karunaratne and Kusal Perera’s opening partnership which has been heavily depended on by the Sri Lankan side, but somehow Fernando and Matthews both proved their worth in the middle order and they would be looking forward to continue this form for the battle up tomorrow.

South Africa having no pressure and Sri Lanka having alot of it is what is going to be the key battle for the Sri Lankan players and they would have to tackle with this pressure in a positive way so that they stay in the chase for the ticket to the playoffs.

Probable XIs –

SL – Karunaratne, Kusal Perera, Avishka, Kusal Mendis, Matthews, Thisara, De Silva, Siriwardana, Udana, Malinga, Pradeep

SA – De Kock, Amla, Markram, Faf, Miller, Dussen, Phehlukwayo, Morris, Rabada, Tahir, Ngidi

Possible Replacements –

1. NONE for South Africa unless they would like to try their benched players, Shamsi, Duminy, Pretorius or Hendricks, which is unlikely but possible since they are not in the race to the playoffs now.

2. Milinda Siriwardana should be likely to replace Jeevan Mendis who has been off-colour with both bat and ball whenever got the chance.

Key Features –

1. Yet again, it was a show of the All Rounders after a week full of breathtaking performances by All Rounders ranging from Shakib, Brathwaite, Stokes (twice) and Nabi. This time joining the list were Jimmy Neesham and Colin De Grandhomme who built a partnership of 132 runs for the 6th wicket after losing the top 5 pretty within 83 runs. Their individual scores were 97(112)* and 64(71) respectively.

2. Shaheen Afridi was unplayable today with his inswinging deliveries to the top order in the powerplay overs picking up Munro, Ross and Latham for cheap scores. His spell was 10-3-28-3.

3. Babar Azam, yet again with his consistency in ODIs, scored a match-winning 101(127)*. Haris Sohail gave him amazing support and scored his second consecutive half century in this tournament that too in both the must-win encounters. They built a match-winning partnership of 125 runs. His individual score was 68(76).

4. Mohammad Hafeez’s last three dismisals were against Aaron Finch, Aiden Markram and Kane Williamson (today). Seems like an experienced doesn’t really like batting against part-time bowlers😜.

Post-Match Analysis –
1. It was a must-win for Pakistan and all of a sudden just one spot has been booked in the playoffs (by Australia) amd and all the other three spots are open for New Zealand, India, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with NZ and IND being the favourites for two of the three remaining spots, but the third one still being uncertain after England’s continuous defeats.

2. In the next 6 days, India play 3 matches, which surely would be tiring for all the players, but would also give us a confirmation about their position on the points table after the similar number of games as all the other teams since they’ve played the least as of now (5).

3. It’s towards the end stage of the tournament with still no confirmation on who qualifies other than Australia, with all the Important must-win battles yet to come, i.e., Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Sri Lanka vs India, England vs India, England vs New Zealand, and Bangladesh vs India.

4. Pakistan are now at 7 points after 7 matches, equivalent to that of Bangladesh. With 2 more wins, it would make them equivalent to New Zealand, provided they lose their remaining two, which would infer in England winning against them going to atleast 10 points. India are at 9 after just 5 games and tomorrow’s battle might give a clear position of them as well when related with the fighting teams. Sri Lanka are at 6 points, currently the last placed teams amongst the teams fighting for the 3 spots of qualification.

5. Amongst the top 7 teams (as mentioned above), two of them battled today with one having the best NRR (NZ) and the other one having the worst (PAK), and this might play a crucial role in determining the playoff teams if the points of some teams are equivalent at the end.

6. New Zealand take on Australia next, one team which could’ve been the first to qualify the way they were going, but still haven’t, and the other who have played some amazing cricket against every team and have safely made it to the playoffs.

7. Pakistan take on Afghanistan next which could clearly mean another 2 points for them, making them the prime favourites for one of the 3 remaining spots for the knockout phase! Also, they take on Bangladesh last which could be a do-or-die battle for both the teams if the last spot is still open at that time.

Up Next –

India vs West Indies

India, on one hand, is now the only undefeated team in this World Cup, though they’ve just played 5 matches and go on to play their 6th tomorrow with majority of the teams already with 7 done.

West Indies, on the other, is the third team to be officially eliminated from the tournament after Afghanistan and South Africa and would be playing without any pressure tomorrow, which would cause a problem to India in the battle tomorrow.

The way India and West Indies played in their last games against Afghanistan and New Zealand respectively might be a cause of concern for India and they might look to correct their mistakes so that they can continue their unbeaten momentum.

India, with a win tomorrow, would get equivalent to New Zealand, and would also inch a step closer towards qualification, but with a loss tomorrow, they’d have to come back stronger against England, whom they play just 3 days after tomorrow, and then play Bangladesh with just a day’s gap after the fixture against England. A hectic schedule on the way for India with two key players Shikhar and Bhuvi not available. They surely wouldn’t want any pressure later on and would like to win tomorrow.

India go in as the favourites for the battle tomorrow.

Probable XIs –

WI – Gayle, Ambris, Hope, Pooran, Hetmeyer, Allen, Holder, Brathwaite, Nurse, Cottrell, Roach

IND – Rohit, Rahul, Kohli, Vijay, Dhoni, Pandya, Jadhav, Jadeja, Shami, Bumrah, Chahal

Possible Replacements –

1. Sunil Ambris has replaced Andre Russell, who has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Evin Lewis’s fitness is also a concern and Ambris might replace Lewis and open the innings with Gayle. Since the Windies have been eliminated from the tournament, it won’t be a surprise if Oshane Thomas is rested and Fabian Allen gets a chance to play in the starting XI.

2. Jadeja has been seen practicing alot in the nets during the practice sessions with the team. He looks a prime favourite to replace Kuldeep Yadav, who has been off-colour this year on a whole.

Key Features –

1. Aaron Finch and David Warner built an amazing foundation to their innings, even under overcast conditions, to score a partnership of 123 runs for the opening stand. Their individual scores were 100(116) and 53(61) respectively.

2. Alex Carey had a good finishing continuing his consistency as a lower order finisher. He scored an unbeaten 38(27)*.

3. Getting Vince, Root and Morgan in a span of a total of 12 runs was always a great feat for the Left-Arm Seamers of the Australian side (Starc and Behrendorf) giving a huge boost to Australia in the second innings.

4. Ben Stokes yet again played a fighting knock but couldn’t get a good supporting partnership to be built alongside him. He scored an 89(115), before being a victim to Starc.

5. Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorf just proved the worth of Left-Arm Seamers in a side by being completely unplayable by all the batsmen out there of England. They had spells of 4/43(8.4) and 5/44(10) respectively, picking up a total of 9 out of 10 scalps.

Post-Match Analysis –
1. Australia got a huge boost from their opening batsmen in the first innings and then, from their opening bowlers in the second innings. That always made it certain that they had the upper hand throughout the game.

2. Australia now officially becomes the first team to book a berth in the playoffs with 12 points in 7 matches with just one loss and 6 wins to their name. They are on top of all the charts, i.e., the points table, the highest run getters list (David Warner and Aaron Finch at 1&2 respectively) and also the highest wicket takers list (Mitchell Starc). They are yet again dominating this World Cup hands down!

3. It was difficult to dismiss Joe Root in this tournament in a score less than 50, other than a 21 vs Bangladesh. This is the first instance in this World Cup that Joe Root was out without reaching double figures and it had to be Mitchell Starc’s amazing inswinging delivery for a plumb LBW to get rid of such a consistent batsman for a cheap score of just 8. That was a huge loss to England today.

4. Jason Roy will be available for the last two fixtures against India and New Zealand which are must-wins for England if they want to qualify for the playoffs, that too against the two unbeaten teams in this World Cup. His return will not only increase the morale of the team but also give a higher chance of a bigger opening stand as compared to that given by Vince in the 3 games, with his individual scores of 26,14,0.

5. Australia play their next two against New Zealand and South Africa respectively and remember, they have already qualified for the playoffs and can always try different combinations and rest some key players before the knockout phase.

6. England are still placed 4th on the points table with 8 points and are desperate for a win against atleast one of the two teams they face next.

7. Australia’s sheer dominance over each team might be a warning statement for all the teams who are still fighting for the remaining three playoff spots that they’re here to win their 6th title without fail!

Up Next –

Pakistan vs New Zealand

If Pakistan wants any chances of qualification to the playoffs, they have to win this game otherwise they would stand no chance. So, the miracle they proved against England, they have to revive that miracle tomorrow against the Kiwis.

New Zealand have been unbeaten in this tournament so far and are just one win away to formally qualify for the playoffs with 3 games still remaining for them, including the one tomorrow.

The fourth spot of the playoffs is open for Pakistan and they would want to play their hearts out tomorrow like they did against the Proteas and continue their winning momentum.

On the contray, New Zealand has been unbeaten due to which they would surely pose a great threat for Pakistan in tomorrow’s battle.

All in all, even though New Zealand go as favourites, it’s Cricket and can’t be certain when both teams look to book a berth in the playoffs. Hence, a contest worth watching!

Probable XIs –

NZ – Guptill, Munro, Williamson, Taylor, Blundell, Neesham, Grandhomme, Santner, Boult, Ferguson, Southee

PAK – Fakhar, Imam, Babar, Hafeez, Sohail, Sarfaraz, Imad, Shadab, Amir, Wahab, Shaheen

Possible Replacements –

1. NONE for Pakistan after a comfortable victory against the Proteas. They would like to stick with the same winning combination. The only possible change could be Hasan Ali or Mohammad Hasnain in for Shaheen Afridi who again had a poor outing with the ball against SA.

2. New Zealand have been unbeaten and have fielded the same XI in every game and are highly unlikely to make any changes in the battle tomorrow as well until they have a official confirmation of qualification for the knockout phase. But however, Tom Blundell and Tim Southee seem to be raring to go and in great form as well as compared to Tom Latham and Matt Henry respectively and can be changed for some better team combinations before they go into the Playoffs.

Key Features –

1. Once again Shakib Al Hasan proving as to why is he the Number 1 ranked ODI all rounder in the ICC Rankings. He scored a yet another half-ton and this time along with it took a fifer! His score was 51(69) and a match-winning spell of 5/29(10).

2. Mushfiqur Rahim being the pillar of their middle order and scored an 83(87) to take their score to a total of 200+.

3. Mosaddek Hossain played a quick cameo of 35(24) to take their total up to a 262 in 50 overs. He also took an important wicket of Hashmatullah Shahidi.

4. Gulbadin Naib had a good game with both bat and ball playing a Captain’s game. He had a spell of 2/56(10) and just missed his well deserved half-ton and ended up scoring 47(75).

5. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers from Afghanistan bowling a spell of 3/39(10).

6. Samiullah Shenwari played his first game in this World Cup edition and just missed his well deserved half ton and ended up scoring 49(51)*. He just needed some support from the other end which unfortunately he didn’t receive from anyone.

Post-Match Analysis –

1. Afghanistan have played 7 games and probably are the first team in the history of World Cup cricket not to fetch even a single point till now after playing so many games. They still have two games to go, hope they fetch atleast one win before they go home.

2. Bangladesh are back in the race to qualify for the playoffs with tomorrow’s battle a must-watch encounter for Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

3. Bangladesh are now on the 5th position with 7 points after 7 games, just one point behind England and one point ahead Sri Lanka. This has opened the 4th spot for the playoffs to all these 5 teams, with 3 almost qualified and 2 officially eliminated.

4. Bangladesh have to play India and Pakistan… Aah the Asia Cup is back for them it seems. They need to win both those matches if they want any chances of qualifications, and remember England shouldn’t win more than one game from here on in their remaining three.

5. Shakib Al Hasan has been the lone fighter for the team and has got their team to this stage in the tournament and he deserves all the praises and appreciations for his outstanding performances throughout the 7 matches and possibly an even better performance in the next two. He has been well supported by Tamim once, Liton once and Mushfiqur majority of the times. This batting unit has been doing wonders. They do deserve to qualify just for Shakib.

6. Rashid Khan has completely been off colours in this World Cup edition and surely hasn’t had a great year with a not so good IPL too early on this year. He has bowled a total of 52 overs, conceded 314 runs at an economy rate of 6.03 in an ODI tournament, and has just taken 4 wickets in 7 matches. This has been a major cause of concern for Afghanistan’s poor outing this tournament since he was their strike bowler.

7. Removal of Mohammad Shahzad and change of captaincy in the last minute from Asghar to Naib has surely been one of the reasons for the poor performance of the team as a whole. Also, Samiullah Shenwari should’ve played from the very start if they wanted to win any match at all. He was their star performer today.

8. Shakib Al Hasan’s performance this season in the 6 completed matches they’ve played have been as follows –

With the bat – 75(84) vs SA, 64(68) vs NZ, 121(119) vs ENG, 124(99)* vs WI, 41(41) vs AUS, 51(69) vs AFG. A total of 476 runs. The reason he is the highest scorer of this tournament till now is because of his sheer consistency and determination to fight against all the tough teams and win at his own merit!

Up Next –

England vs Australia

Can’t really say anything about this game. This is a battle of the Ashes in a limited overs format! This is a battle between two of the strongest teams in this tournament! This is a battle for everyone to enjoy watching!

For England, it has to be a must-win game if they want to qualify, because thereafter they take on India and New Zealand who have been unbeaten in this season, and they surely would like to have their qualification pressure released when they play them later on!

For Australia, it’s been a clean sweep against everyone, and a list of comfortable victories in this tournament being on the 2nd position on the points table with 5 wins in 6 matches!

England should be the favourites since they are ranked 1 in the ICC ODI Rankings and Australia is 5th in the same. Also, England are the hosts. But yet, Australia are the favourites for tomorrow’s encounter since they haven’t lost to England in World Cup games since the last 29 years and have been on a roll since the time Warner and Smith have made a comeback to the side!

Jason Roy should be fit for tomorrow’s game and should likely replace James Vince making the English batting lineup as threatening as they were!

Key Battles and the Probable XIs –

Jason Roy, Johnny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Joe Root vs David Warner, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith

Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali vs Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell

Jos Buttler vs Alex Carey

Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes vs Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins

Mark Wood vs Nathan Coulter Nile

Adil Rashid vs Adam Zampa/Nathan Lyon

Possible Replacements –

1. Jason Roy was supposed to be fit before this encounter though no official confirmation has come yet and would come by tomorrow morning. If he’s fully fit, he would replace James Vince.

2. Adam Zampa hasn’t had a very good World Cup till now and can be replaced by Nathan Lyon if they want to continue with a spinner.

Rest, both lineups are most likely to stay the same.

Key Features –

1. What a comeback for Haris Sohail in this tournament after sitting out on the bench for the last 5 games. He scored an amazing knock of 89(59) before being a victim to Lungi Ngidi.

2. Babar Azam yet again showing his consistency in this tournament by scoring a 69(80).

3. Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers from South Africa bowling a spell of 3/64(9). To support him was the beautiful spell of bowling by Imran Tahir 2/41(10).

4. A good start by Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman laying a strong foundation for the rest of the batters to join them in taking the total to a 307. They scored 44 each.

5. Faf Du Plessis was the only half-centurion from the South African batting lineup scoring a 63(79). He was supported by Dussen, De Kock, Phehlukwayo and Miller who all scored in 30s or 40s.

6. The pick of the bowlers for Pakistan were Wahab Riaz and Shadab Khan who ensured that they defend 307 comfortably against the Proteas. They bowled a spell of 3/46(10) and 3/50(10) respectively.

Post-Match Analysis –

1. Even though there is a slight outside chance for Pakistan to qualify after today’s victory, the Proteas are officially the third team to be eliminated from the ICC World Cup 2019 after Afghanistan and West Indies.

2. Lungi Ngidi’s spell today surely was a positive for all the teams who played against them during his injury giving SA no chance to win matches except for the one against Afghanistan.

3. South Africa just have to play Sri Lanka and Australia now in their next two respective matches, with just 3 points in 7 games for them. They are positioned at the 9th place on the points table with 1 win, 1 N/R and 5 losses.

4. On the contrary, Pakistan have finally managed to get their second win after a victory against the hosts, England. Though they are still in the hunt for the playoffs, but looking at the position of the other teams, their chances look slim, since they have the worst NRR if compared to the teams placed above them.

5. Pakistan are positioned at the 7th place on the points table with 5 points in 6 games, equivalent to that of Bangladesh but below them due to the NRR. Pakistan play New Zealand next which apparently is a do or die match for them but a no-pressure game for the Kiwis.

Up Next –

Bangladesh vs Afghanistan

It’s Shakib Al Hasan vs Mohammad Nabi! Two of the best all rounders in the world take on each other with one team completely out of the tournament without a single point in 6 games with the other still fighting it out to be in the top 4.

For Bangladesh, it’s a must-win encounter and they surely would give their all in just like they did against both Windies and the Aussies. They surely are the favourites for tomorrow’s battle and should have the upper hand even though Afghanistan’s game against India yesterday might be a wakeup call for the Tigers to play well and not take them lightly.

Afghanistan have no pressure and have been trying different combinations of their batting order and won’t be a surprise if they bring Shenwari in for anyone at all. Also, a no-pressure game means a tough fight to Bangladesh tomorrow since they can play their natural games which almost won them the game against India a few matches ago.

Probable XIs –

BAN – Tamim, Sarkar, Shakib, Mushfiqur, Liton, Shabbir, Mahmudullah, Mortaza, Mustafizur, Mehidy, Saifuddin/Rubel

AFG – Naib, Zazai, Rahmat, Shahidi, Najibullah, Shenwari, Nabi, Rashid, Aftab, Hamid, Mujeeb

Possible Replacements –

1. Bangladesh are expected to go with the same XI which lined up against Australia unless Mohammad Saifuddin and Mosaddek Hossain have recovered from their injuries. If they have, they’ll replace Rubel and Shabbir respectively.

2. Afghanistan can make any changes and Shenwari might get a chance to play since he has been on the bench ever since the tournament started. I presume Afghan would have to sit out but anyone can knowing they can experiment with their 15 now. Hamid Hassan also might get a chance to play again.

I. India vs Afghanistan

Key features –

1. Virat Kohli was the lone player with a strike rate of more than 100 scoring 67(63) after the loss of Rohit early on.

2. Kedar Jadhav finally returned back to form with the bat being the second half centurion of the match scoring 52(68).

3. Every bowler of Afghanistan struck atleast one wicket each showing a collective effort of all the bowlers including Rahmat Shah.

4. Mohammad Nabi gave a perfect fighting knock till the end scoring a 52(55) taking the match to a nail-biting finish.

5. Mohammad Shami played his first game in World Cup 2019 and becomes the first hattrick taker of this tournament bowling a spell of 4/40(9.5).

Post-Match Analysis –

1. India, though disappointed with the bat, fortunately have continued their winning momentum in this World Cup to be unbeaten with 9 points in 5 games, inching a step closer towards the playoffs.

2. Every batsman of Afghanistan played a test match innings until Nabi entered the pitch, which actually was the main reason to increase Afghanistan’s difficulty in chasing even a low total of just 225.

3. Jasprit Bumrah once again was the bowler to turn the game around to India’s favour picking up the set batsmen Rahmat and Shahidi in a span of 3 deliveries itself.

4. India is now positioned 3rd with 9 points in 5 games. They play West Indies next which is after 5 days. They just have to win another game in their next 4 to book a berth in the playoffs alongside New Zealand and Australia, who also are almost in.

5. Afghanistan are still point-less and win-less in this tournament after 6 games and are still at the same position continuing their consistency of their unfortunate losing streak even though they’ve not been performing badly. They play their next game against Bangladesh day after tomorrow, a must win for the Tigers if they want to keep their playoff chances alive.

II. New Zealand vs West Indies

Key Features –

1. Kane Williamson scored 148(154) which, though was a slow innings, but was much important after the loss of Munro and Guptill for a golden duck each. Ross Taylor supported him in a partnership of 160 runs for the 3rd wicket and scored 69(95) himself.

2. Sheldon Cottrell was the pick of the bowlers being the only seamer to pick wickets of the Kiwi batsmen until Brathwaite bowled the last three deliveries of the innings. Cottrell ended up with a spell of 4/58(10).

3. Chris Gayle back into form with a score of 87(84). He built a strong partnership of 122 alongside Shimron Hetmeyer who scored a quick 54(45). On the contrary, Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson were the pick of the bowlers picking up crucial wickets at crucial moments to lead New Zealand to a comfortable victory. Their spells were 4/30(10) and 3/59(10) respectively.

4. Carlos Brathwaite proved his worth with both bat and ball showing his all round abilities after a very long time. He bowled a spell of 2/52(6) and scored an almost match-winning knock of 101(82).

5. A match-winning over by James Neesham in the 49th over bowling 00200W to get Brathwaite’s wicket and most importantly the final wicket of the Windies leading themselves straight to the playoffs with their unbeaten streak!

Post-Match Analysis –

1. New Zealand become the first team to officially qualify for the playoffs with 11 points in 6 matches, continuing their unbeaten winning streak. On the contrary, West Indies, again after an amazing start in the initial overs with the ball, choking later on letting the Kiwis take their total to a 291 and losing the game with Lewis injured, and Hope and Pooran falling early on in the innings.

2. West Indies are also officially eliminated from the tournament with just 3 points in 6 games and now since Russell is also injured, they wouldn’t risk him further to play matches, so expect his World Cup journey over for this season.

3. New Zealand move to the top of the points table yet again with 11 points (5 Wins and 1 N/R) in their 6 matches with the Windies still on the 7th position with just 3 points (1 win, 4 losses and 1 N/R) in 6 matches.

4. New Zealand play their next fixture against Pakistan. On the contrary, West Indies play their next against India after 5 days.

5. Three nail-biting encounters in two days. Wow! What a day with some out of form players coming back into form and the all rounders of all three, Afghanistan (Mohammad Nabi), England (Ben Stokes), and West Indies (Carlos Brathwaite) taking the match to a close and almost won it for their teams, but ending up in a loss unfortunately.

Up Next –

Pakistan vs South Africa

The two Green jerseyed teams take on each other in tomorrow’s battle with the known fact that both teams have been logically eliminated from the tournament.

Pakistan on one hand defeated England, the favourites, but still placed 9th with that as their only win. On the other hand, South Africa face a similar problem in terms of winning games and they also have only 1 win in their 6 games and that too against Afghanistan.

South Africa is ranked 4th in the ICC ODI Rankings and Pakistan is ranked 6th in the same, hence South Africa are the favourites for the battle tomorrow, even though their current form shows an even battle between the two and that the contest tomorrow would be worth watching and should not be one-sided to say the least.

South Africa’s biggest concern has been injuries. Starting from Dale Steyn being ruled out, then Lungi Ngidi’s unavailability, Faf’s poor form and dependency on all rounders in the likes of Phehlukwayo, Morris and Pretorius.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has had ups and downs with both bat and ball. You only see one batsman and one bowler taking charge in every game which actually are Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir respectively. They need some teammates to support them and even take charge if they want to win matches instead of individual performances in every game.

Probable XIs –

PAK – Fakhar, Imam, Babar, Hafeez, Sohail, Sarfaraz, Imad, Shadab, Wahab, Hasan, Amir

SA – De Kock, Amla, Markram, Faf, Dussen, Miller, Phehlukwayo, Morris, Rabada, Ngidi, Tahir

Possible Replacements –

1. Shoaib Malik has been out of form and can be replaced by Haris Sohail considering the fact that Asif Ali might not be available for selection since he could’ve gone back to Pakistan for some family concerns.

2. NONE for SA unless Duminy comes into the team in place of Markram/Miller which is unlikely but possible.

Key Features –

1. Angelo Matthews was the highest scorer of the match with a score of 85(115)*.

2. A good knock by Avishka Fernando on his debut in this World Cup and by Kusal Mendis showing the strength of their middle order by scoring 49(39) and 46(68) respectively.

3. Joe Root yet again showing his consistency by scoring a 57(89). And, Ben Stokes supported him from the other end to score an 82(89)* to stabilise the score when the wickets were falling from one end and also to give a fight as a lone wolf from one end to take England to victory but unfortunately nobody else could stay and give him support till the end.

4. Jofra Archer continuing his 3-wicket momentum of each game by bowling a spell of 3/52(10) today. To support him was Mark Wood with a spell of 3/40(10) and Adil Rashid with a spell of 2/45(10).

5. Dhananjaya De Silva was the one who turned the whole game towards Sri Lanka’s favour by picking up 3 wickets in two overs. He bowled a spell of 3/32(8). To support him was Lasith Malinga who had a fiery spell from the very start of the innings picking up Bairstow and Vince early on with an end spell of 4/43(10).

Post-Match Analysis –

1. England were not only the favourites, but also are the hosts and also positioned No.1 in the ICC ODI Rankings, but they’ve lost their two games against the Asian teams Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which were two upsets not only for England but of the tournament too!

2. This win for Sri Lanka not only has given them the chance of qualifying for the playoffs but also made an opportunity to eliminate England from the tournament since they have to play Australia, New Zealand and India in their last three matches, all of those teams who are in the top 4 along with them currently.

3. It was always Kusal Perera and Dimuth Karunaratne who had to score for the team and the middle order could never contribute and always collapsed, but today it was completely opposite with both Perera and Dimuth failing in the first couple of overs and the team being saved by the middler order batsmen, i.e., Avishka, K Mendis, Matthews and De Silva.

4. Getting England to lose all their wickets and restricting them from chasing a minimal total of 233 surely would be a wake-up call to the Windies, Proteas and India who have to play them later on in this tournament.

5. For the first time a target of less than 300 being a struggle for the chasing team showing that all the bowlers of both teams did really well against the batsmen of both the teams, first to restrict SL to a total of only 232 and then being able to defend that total against a quality batting attack of England.

6. England is still positioned 2nd on the table with 8 points and Sri Lanka climbs up to the 5th position with 6 points, giving themselves a bit of chance to qualify for the playoffs.

7. England play their next against Australia. Ashes to be relived in the ODI format! The rivalry everyone in England would be waiting to watch! On the other hand, Sri Lanka play South Africa which is a must-win for them to be a step closer towards the playoffs.

Interesting Facts –

1. Every team has played atleast 5 matches in this tournament which is more than half their total matches. ONLY India has played 4 games with their 5th one coming up tomorrow.

2. ONLY South Africa has given a chance to all their 15 players from their squad to play atleast one game in this tournament. Every other team has atleast one player who has been on the bench since the very start. And, New Zealand is the ONLY team to have continued with their 11 in all the matches they’ve played.

Up Next –

A DOUBLE HEADER!

I. INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN

On one hand, Afghanistan are still point-less and win-less after playing 5 games. On the other hand, India have been unbeaten in the 4 games they’ve played.

India are the favourites for tomorrow even though they are going to miss the services of Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, two key players of the team. India has the upper hand in the battle tomorrow.

It’s going to be a battle of spinners tomorrow with the likes of Rashid, Mujeeb and Nabi from Afghanistan, and Chahal, Kuldeep and Jadhav/Jadeja (whoever plays) from India.

India are positioned 4th on the points table with 7 points in 4 games (3 wins and 1 N/R). Afghanistan are positioned last (10th) on the points table with 0 points in 5 games (5 losses).

Probable XIs –

IND – Rohit, Rahul, Virat, Karthik/Shankar, Dhoni, Pandya, Jadhav/Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Bumrah, Chahal

AFG – Zazai, Noor, Shahidi, Rahmat, Afghan, Nabi, Najibullah, Naib, Rashid, Dawlat, Mujeeb

Possible Replacements –

1. Vijay Shankar was injured during the practice session and might be rested for tomorrow’s game opening the door to Dinesh Karthik who is likely to be selected above Rishabh Pant if given the chance. Bhuvi is also injured which means Mohammad Shami would get to play. Kedar Jadhav has neither been doing well with the bat nor with the ball and might be dropped with Jadeja getting a chance to play. Injuries are the only reason as to why changes have to be made otherwise India would not like to change their winning combination.

2. Afghanistan are out of the tournament and are making changes in every game resting one of their players and giving a chance to someone else which means the door might be open to Samiullah Shenwari at some game and there might be some unexpected changes for tomorrow’s game as well. What I expect is that Zazai would come in place of Ikram Ali Khil giving Rahmat Shah keeping duties. Also, Aftab Alam might replace Mujeeb Ur Rahman if they want to go with an extra seam option against a team like India.

II. NEW ZEALAND vs WEST INDIES

West Indies are practically eliminated from the tournament and won’t really have a very good morale amongst the players after their game against Bangladesh. Hence, they are not playing under any pressure of qualifications and would play their natural games which might be a threat for New Zealand.

New Zealand have also been unbeaten in this tournament after playing 5 games and have been on a winning momentum. Winning tomorrow’s game would officially book a spot for them in the playoffs and confirm their spot in the top 4 with 11 points if they win.

Looking at today’s upset, it might always be possible that West Indies up their game and start winning matches if they want even a bit of an outside chance to qualify, that could happen if England lose all their next three matches.

New Zealand are the favourites for the game and have the upper edge in the battle tomorrow and will be looking to book a berth in the playoffs tomorrow itself.

Probable XIs –

NZ – Munro, Guptill, Williamson, Ross, Blundell, Neesham, Grandhomme, Santner, Boult, Henry, Ferguson

WI – Gayle, Lewis, Hope, Pooran, Hetmeyer, Russell, Holder, Brathwaite, Cottrell, Thomas, Nurse

Possible Replacements –

1. Tom Latham hasn’t scored in double figures in the 4 games he got to bat and might be replaced by Tom Blundell who was amazing with the bat in their warm-up games before the World Cup. Though this is unlikely since New Zealand has gone with the same XI in every match and won’t want to change their winning combination as well.

2. Shannon Gabriel was highly expensive against Bangladesh and might be replaced by Ashley Nurse giving them a spin option rather than playing with 6 seamers and Gayle being their only spin bowler. Also, Darren Bravo was sent to bat at No.8 which isn’t his ideal position and looking at their batting order, he doesn’t fit above that as well. This might tempt the team to go for Brathwaite again in place of Bravo to give them an extra bowling option which they lacked in their previous match against Bangladesh.

Key Features –

1. David Warner now has the highest individual score of World Cup 2019 with a 166(147) today. The earlier highest score was 153 held by his co-opener Aaron Finch along with Jason Roy.

2. Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja supported Warner in building partnerships for the first and second wickets respectively to take the total to a 300+. Both of them scored respective half centuries and had scores of 53(51) and 89(72) respectively.

3. Glenn Maxwell had a quick firing knock towards the end with the help of the finishing from Stoinis and Carey to take the score to a 381 in 50 overs. They scored 32(10), 17(11)* and 11(8)* respectively.

4. Soumya Sarkar was the pick of the bowlers from Bangladesh who was given charge after Shakib, Mashrafe and Rubel went for plenty in their spells. He bowled a spell of 3/58(8) to help them get the required breakthroughs.

5. Tamim Iqbal regains his form as an opener and even though Sarkar went early on, Tamim and Shakib built a partnership of 79. He ended up scoring 62(74), his first half-ton in this world cup.

6. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah built up an excellent partnership of 127 for the 5th wicket and scored 102(97)* and 69(50) respectively to take their total to a 333. This is Mushfiqur Rahim’s highest individual score in a World Cup game.

7. Bangladesh record their highest-ever ODI total, that too in a World Cup game against a team like Australia! They surely are a team to reckon and will do wonders in the near years, especially with this batting lineup consisting of Tamim, Sarkar, Shakib, Mushfiqur, Liton and Mahmudullah. This is a batting order worth contesting against and surely a wake-up call for India who play them real soon.

Post-Match Analysis –

1. Seems as if the Law of Averages just got to the better of Shakib who wasn’t as good with the bat as he has been in this world cup and went for plenty with the ball and was given less than 10 overs that too wicket-less for the first time in the 6 matches they’ve played. He bowled a spell of 0/50(6) and scored a 41(41) while chasing a target of 382.

2. Warner was dropped on 9 and he ended up scoring 166. Very evident that “Catches win matches” once again. The mistake Afghanistan did against England and South Africa did against New Zealand was repeated today by Bangladesh taking the score to a 381. Warner’s catch when he was on 9 would have meant a completely different scenario.

3. Mohammad Saifuddin’s injury has come as a loss to Bangladesh since he’s been their most successful bowler in this World Cup and has taken 9 wickets in the 4 games he has played with atleast 2 in every game. Rubel Hossain, though an amazing bowler, couldn’t really fill his shoes.

4. Chasing a target of 382 usually makes the chasing team to fall under pressure and give wickets at regular intervals and gradually choke and thereby, lose by a huge margin, but Bangladeshi batsmen are on a roll to win the hearts of all the people with their batting skills, and the way they’ve been playing against every team as a complete batting unit has been tremendous. Even though they always knew they couldn’t chase such a huge total down against a quality team like Australia, they never gave up and scored as much as they could.

5. The fact that is commendable about this Bangladesh side is that they never give up, no matter what the target is. They fight till they post a decent total even when they know they’ve lost the game. They play their natural game and do well for the whole 50 over innings when they come out to bat.

6. Australia has practically qualified for the playoffs, being the first team to do so, with 10 points in just 6 games with the last 3 to be played against England, New Zealand and South Africa in the same order. On the other hand, Bangladesh hasn’t lost hope and are still planning to fight all the way till their last game and are placed on the 5th position with 5 points in 6 games, with their final 3 to be played against the Asian subcontinent teams, i.e., Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, in the same order.

7. Australia are back to the top of the points table with David Warner back to the top of the list of the leading run scorers of World Cup 2019, and Mitchell Starc at the top of the list of the leading wicket takers of World Cup 2019. It just shows sheer dominance of Australia over World Cups once again!

Up Next –

England vs Sri Lanka

Jason Roy’s absence opened the spot to James Vince but he couldn’t capitalize on his start in the previous game against Afghanistan, and hence would be looking to score big tomorrow before Roy returns from injury. On the other hand, the middle order of Sri Lanka has just been involved in huge collapses and giving away wickets at regular intervals with just the openers scoring majority of the runs for them with the likes of Kusal Perera and Dimuth Karunaratne, and hence would like to regain control in their middle order in a must-win game for them tomorrow.

Joe Root is coming for tomorrow’s game with 2 centuries and 2 half centuries up his belt in the 5 games they’ve played, Eoin Morgan with a 148(71) in the previous game and a fifty otherwise, Bairstow back into form with 3 consecutive 40+ scores for him including a 90 in the previous game. This shows the batting strength of England which is always going to be a difficult task for the Sri Lankan bowlers to defend knowing that England has batting till No.11 and also the fact that their middle order has just been a failure and a cause of concern for the team management including the form of Angelo Matthews which is the biggest problem for them knowing he has a lot of experience up his alley.

England go into tomorrow’s game being the favorites and knowing they have the upper hand in tomorrow’s battle and they also would practically qualify for the Playoffs with a win tomorrow which would take them to 10 points, similar to Australia.

Probable XIs –

SL – K Perera, Karunaratne, Thirimanne, K Mendis, De Silva, Siriwardana, T Perera, J Mendis, Malinga, Udana, Pradeep

ENG – Bairstow, Vince, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, Moeen, Woakes, Archer, Rashid, Wood

Possible Replacements –

1. Angelo Matthews has been a failure for the team and might be rested/dropped for Jeevan Mendis giving them an extra spin bowling option against England including a reliable batsman down the order with De Silva and Siriwardana having the chance to bat in the middle order. Suranga Lakmal’s Injury extent is still unknown and so is his availability for tomorrow’s game due to the same. If he’s fit, any one could make way for him since he’s been one of their in-form bowlers and it depends on the team as to what team balance should they go for. He can even replace Matthews with Mendis being on the bench yet again.

2. NONE for England since they’re on a winning momentum and are coming off from a 150 run win against Afghanistan in the previous game. They’re unlikely to make any changes to their winning combination unless someone’s being rested or has an injury concern before the game begins.

Key Features –

1. Rassie Van Der Dussen once again showing his consistency in ODIs with a yet another half century. He was unbeaten at 67(64) and took the total to a 241 in 49 overs (DLS).

2. Hashim Amla gave a good start to the innings and scored 55(83) after the loss of Quinton De Kock and Faf Du Plessis early on in the innings.

3. David Miller and Aiden Markram also supported Dussen and Amla by scoring in the 30s to take the total to a 241.

4. Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham built a good partnership of 57 after quick wickets of Guptill, Ross and Latham to steady the innings. They ended up scoring 106(138)* and 23(34) respectively. Also, to add to the misery of South Africa was Colin De Grandhomme’s powerful strokes which ended up resulting in a score of 60(47).

5. Lockie Ferguson was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand bowling a spell of 3/59(10). Chris Morris was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa bowling a spell of 3/49(10).

6. Too many chances put down by South Africa of Williamson and Grandhomme later on though their ground fielding was top-notch to say the least. The dropped chances were a big reason for South Africa to have given away a confirmed win to New Zealand who were on the verge of their first loss in this tournament.

Post-Match Analysis –

1. New Zealand has now played 5 games with 4 wins and 1 N/R, topping the points table with 9 points and still undefeated. On the other hand, South Africa has played 6 matches with 1 win, 1 N/R and 4 losses, certainly the second team to be eliminated from the tournament after Afghanistan.

2. Lockie Ferguson is the leading wicket taker for New Zealand in this World Cup with 11 wickets and looks in fine form along with the likes of Boult and Henry to support him.

3. Tom Latham isn’t in greatest of forms with scores of 0(4), 13(18) and 1(4) in the three games he’s batted in. On the contrary, Tom Blundell had an amazing outing with the bat in the warmup games but unlucky not to get a spot in the XI.

4. Rassie Van Der Dussen has been really consistent in the middle order for South Africa and is proving to be the pillar for their middle order batting when their wickets fall early on in the innings with scores of 50(61), 41(38) and 67(64)* in the last 3 games.

5. South Africa play Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia in their next 3 respective matches with the knowledge of them not qualifying for playoffs, thereby, giving a chance to the players who haven’t gotten a chance to play much in this tournament like Pretorius and Shamsi.

6. Faf Du Plessis has lost his consistency in this World Cup and hasn’t been doing really well which is one of the primary reasons for South Africa’s failure in this tournament since Faf is one of their most consistent and reliable batsmen at the No.3 position who can turn the match to their favour in no time.

7. New Zealand play West Indies next and if they win, they book a spot to the playoffs with 11 points.

8. The Next 3 days might just see 3 teams qualifying for the playoffs if all three Australia, England and New Zealand win their respective matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies respectively.

Up Next –

Australia vs Bangladesh

Looking at Shakib Al Hasan’s consistency with both bat and ball, and the way the team played against a quality bowling attack of the Windies chasing down 322 in just 41 overs, it’s surely not going to be a cakewalk for the Aussies, even though they are the favourites for the encounter tomorrow.

It’s going to be all about getting Shakib out early on in the innings, for the Aussies to have a complete edge over Bangladesh for the win.

If Australia win tomorrow, they are going to book a berth in the playoffs being the first team to qualify for the playoffs of World Cup 2019, which means a complete chance for them to go for their 6th title!

Tamim Iqbal is one of the crucial players for Bangladesh and he would want to regain his form tomorrow not letting the game slip away from them so easily with Shakib and Liton down the order to support him later on.

Bangladesh might surely try to give a tough contest to Australia and would want to continue their winning momentum. On the other hand, Australia are with 4 wins in 5 games and would like to get the playoff ticket tomorrow itself without delaying it further or giving Bangladesh a chance to qualify.

Probable XIs –

BAN – Tamim, Sarkar, Shakib, Liton, Rahim, Saifuddin, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek, Mehidy, Mortaza, Mustafizur

AUS – Warner, Finch, Smith, S Marsh, Maxwell, Stoinis, Carey, Starc, Cummins, Behrendorf, Richardson

Possible Replacements –

1. NONE for Bangladesh after a convincing victory against West Indies though bringing Rubel Hossain in for Mosaddek or Mehidy won’t be a surprise depending on the pitch conditions and what the team decides to do.

2. Khawaja has scores of 15(20), 13(19), 42(39), 18(16) and 10(20) in the 5 games which show that he’s been struggling to find form in this tournament and hasn’t been able to build his innings after the start he’s got. On the other hand, Shaun Marsh is coming at No. 5/6 which is not his usual position to bat in and bringing back Stoinis who is fit now, in for Khawaja would give Marsh his ideal position to bat in with Maxwell and Stoinis as their all rounders to strengthen their batting and bowling in the middle overs. Hence, the only replacement of Stoinis coming in for Usman Khawaja should happen.