Cricket World Cup 2023: Australia Predicted XI vs Pakistan - Will Pat Cummins Make Any Changes?

Australia and Pakistan are set to take on each other in Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday. The match will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Pakistan were off to a pretty good start in the tournament. After two wins against Netherlands and Sri Lanka, they were outplayed in Ahmedabad by arch-rivals India and registered their first defeat of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Australia, on the other hand, had a forgettable outing so far in the tournament, besides the victory in their last match against Sri Lanka. A defeat to India in the opening match was followed by another poor performance against South Africa. Their batting unit failed to touch the 200 mark in both of these matches.

The five-time champions seemed to be on the same track against Sri Lanka, with the Lankan openers adding a 125-run opening stand batting first. However, Adam Zampa spun a web and returned with four wickets, with a brace for skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 209 runs. Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh scored half-centuries in the run-chase, as Australia won by five wickets and 14.4 overs to spare.

Openers: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner

David Warner took an aggressive approach in 2023 and before the World Cup, he was in terrific form. He scored 455 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 110.43. He also has an impressive record against Pakistan, scoring 676 runs in 13 matches against the sub-continent side at an average of 52.00.

Mitchell Marsh has been covering up for Travis Head in the opening slot and has been a hit-and-miss since Head's injury. A half-century in the last match, however, adds much-needed confidence to the Australian top order. His quickfire 52 off 51 balls helped the