Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Bengaluru: Ahead of their clash with Pakistan in the ongoing World Cup, Australia skipper Pat Cummins said that 'Men in Green' are strong in pretty much "all facets".
Australia will square off against Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
"They're (Paksitan) a side that always seems to be right up there. Pretty well structured, I think, across, you know, some really good quick bowlers who can do some damage, some spin bowlers that can bowl 20 of their overs plus. And then they've got, you know, I think Rizwan's the leading run scorer, Babar Azam's always good, a couple of other batters that have scored a lot in ODIs lately. So, they're a really strong side pretty much in all facets," Cummins said in the pre-match press conference.
Against a lethal pace bowling attack, Australia will hope that their batting department will go all guns blazing on a field that demands runs.
Australia's scores of 199 and 177 against India and South Africa respectively, highlight the struggle they have had to put up runs on the board in the ongoing World Cup.
Even though the 'Baggy Greens' have had their fair share of problems on the scoring front, Cummins is hoping that a good amount of runs are somewhere around the corner.
"Yeah, of course, really important. You know, especially at a venue like here in Bangalore, I dare say it's going to be high scoring, smaller field. Pitch is always really good here. So, yeah, batting is super important. I think the way the guys started last game really set the tone. You know, Mitchie and Davey up front from the first over taking the game on. That's what we want from our players. And, you know, they're working really hard. They're doing all the right things. I'm sure plenty of runs are around the corner," Cummins added.
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.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
