Cricket World Cup: Australia win toss, Proteas to bat

Australia won the toss and have put the Proteas in to bat in their Cricket World Cup clash at Lucknow.

The Proteas beat Sri Lanka in their Cricket World Cup opener while Australia lost to hosts India.

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Coming into this match, the Proteas have won their last three ODIs against Australia.

It seems that the battle between Australia’s fast bowlers and South Africa’s top-order will be pivotal to the match’s outcome. Both teams will be hoping to gain the upper hand with a strong performance in this area of the game.

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The Proteas had three players ton up in their last outing but skipper Temba Bavuma went early and will want to stamp his authority on the tournament.

MITCHELL STARC ON CRICKET WORLD CUP PREPARATIONS’

Australia star fast bowler Mitchell Starc says that the Cricket World Cup is a balancing act.

“There is a mixture between preparing and recovering,” Starc said according to ESPN Cricinfo. 

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“In tournament play, there might be shorter gaps than bilateral series. For a lot of our guys, we played a big tour of South Africa before the World Cup, so there is knowledge there. (On the secret to success) No secret really, trying to do what I can best for my team. Not trying to change all the time. More about execution, my role has been the same for a long time. (On the conditions) We have got Marcus (Stoinis) and Andy (Flower) who have been a part of the Lucknow franchise (in the IPL). The square has been re-laid so it is a bit of an unknown. All about adaptation. It is a bigger ground and the team that adapts the best, might come out on top.”

TEAMS

Australia XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

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