We are all set to witness two blockbuster clashes as New Zealand lock horns with Pakistan at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and England take on Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the 35th and 36th matches of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Saturday.
NZ vs PAK Match Prediction
A lot of things will hinge on the result of this match. New Zealand are currently sitting in fourth place whereas Pakistan are occupying the fifth position. The Kiwis have suffered defeats in their last three games after starting the tournament with four consecutive wins.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has been very inconsistent. They won their last game against Bangladesh and that has still kept them in the race for the semi-finals, but this match against the Kiwis is a do-or-die game for them. New Zealand, however, are the favourites as the Pakistan batters struggle against high-end pacers. New Zealand batters are in perfect form and should handle the Pakistan bowling attack with ease.
Probable Playing XIs
New Zealand
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.
Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf.
ENG vs AUS Match Prediction
Australia vs England contests have seldom been boring, but this clash could be a pretty one-sided one as the English team has been in dismal batting form. England are already out of the World Cup having lost five of their six games. Australia, on the other hand, are on a four-game winning run after starting the tournament with consecutive losses. The Aussies were struggling with their batting, but their batters have struck form now and it will be very difficult for the English bowlers to contain them.
Australia will be dealing with the loss of Glenn Maxwell in this match as the all-rounder injured himself in a freak golf-cart accident. His absence will leave a big void in the Australian batting lineup, but they have an able replacement in Cameron Green. England, on the other hand, need to regroup and get a couple of wins at least for their pride and their fans. They have quality players who need to step up in this match. Australia still are the favourites to win this contest and keep their winning run going.
Probable Playing XIs
England
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Australia
David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
