Australia vs Bangladesh: Can Shakib and Co Cause an Upset?

The battle of Australia vs Bangladesh is scheduled for Saturday (November 11) at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.

Australia is currently ranked at number three with five wins from seven matches. The turnaround of the mighty Aussies is astonishing, and they are getting better from strength to strength.

With an astonishing win over Afghanistan, they are set to meet South Africa in the semi-final.

They lost the first two games and then won five consecutive contests, signs of intimidation for opposition teams. Everyone knows winning world cups is in their blood and will impose serious threats to the other sides.

The Bangla Tigers, on the other hand, had a disappointing tournament, and they are right at the bottom of the table with only one win from seven matches.

They won their first match against Afghanistan, then went on to lose six matches on the trot, which eventually eliminated them from the tournament.

This contest is more about grace and pride for men in green as it would boost their morale to beat a champion side like Australia, but surely it won’t be a walk in the park.

They are a side that does well on slow and turning wickets; just like their own conditions, the wicket of Pune might be similar to that.

It is more about executing the plans confidently against challenging opposition like Australia.

Australia vs Bangladesh Head-to-Head History

The Sub-continent Tigers faced the Kangaroos 21 times in ODI cricket, and the men in yellow showed impeccable domination against them, having won 19 out of them.

Bangladesh came out victorious only one time, and once the match ended without a result.

The two sides punched their muscles four times in ICC World Cups; the Aussies came out victorious three times, and one match ended without a result.

Bangla Tigers are yet to defeat them in the ICC ODI World Cups, which keeps Aussies ahead in this game.

Probable Man of the Match Award Winner

Who to watch closely for Australia vs Bangladesh?

Steven Smith

Steve Smith is a modern-day great and part of the Fab four list. He is remarkably impressive in test cricket and very decent in white-ball cricket.

The 34-year-old Aussie has been very crafty and dexterous in playing spin bowling, and many people believed that he would have a dominant World Cup in these spin-friendly conditions of India.

The right-handed batter failed to make a mark thus far and scored only 205 runs in the competition.

Australia is shaping up very nicely in the last few games, and if he gets back to form, it would certainly make them more dangerous in the semis.

The ex-Australian skipper is more than capable of getting things back on track, and his ability to play spin smartly will suit his game on the Pune wicket.

Adam Zampa

It is often said that having wrist spinners on your side is absolute gold dust as they create opportunities in the middle overs, which eventually restricts the opposition to moderate totals.

Adam Zampa is no different, as he is the highest wicket-taker in the competition, with 19 scalps.

He bowled a magnificent spell against their arch-rivals England, conceding only 21 runs in an entire spell of 10 overs and taking three wickets.

The confidence of the leg spinners is mighty important in their success, and if they come into a game on the back of a dominant performance, it lifts them a lot.

Most of the teams at the top of the points table have contributions from their wrist spinners in middle overs, be it Kuldeep for India or Shamsi for South Africa.

Shakib Al Hassan

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the stalwarts of Bangladesh cricket. He is the face of their cricket, and his disappointed performances have haunted them badly.

The left-handed middle-order batter just scored 105 runs in the competition with no major impact and is the reason why they are right at rock bottom of the table.

He has been batting slightly lower down the order, taking the responsibility to recover from the early collapse. Still, everyone remembers the last World Cup in 2019 when he batted at No. three and scored over 600 + runs in the event.

There has been a valid criticism of him for not batting in the top order, which could have proved more beneficial for his team.

The veteran all-rounder of Bangla Tigers would like to finish this competition on a high note, and this could be a day for him to bring some smiles to their fans, who have been very disappointed throughout the tournament.

David Warner

David Warner has already announced himself in this competition in the last 5 games, which Australia won. The left-handed opener has been in scintillating form and is currently the highest run scorer for Australia.

The mighty Aussie would like to continue his good form, and he can make a mockery of any bowling lineup on his day.

He has already surpassed 400 runs in the tournament and it is not over for him yet.

Collectively, Australia is getting into their groove before the semi-finals begin, and this lad is one of the important cogs in their lineup.

Australia vs Bangladesh Match Prediction

Looking at the previous performances and utter domination of the Aussies, it is easy to predict that Australia will be far ahead in this game.

They are heading in the right direction, with a strong, well-equipped side. It is believed that Australia is the only team that would give a tough time to Invincible India who is yet to lose a match in the competition

On the contrary, Bangladesh needs to make sure their spinners get into the game quickly and hope that the wicket offers something for them.

One thing that looks quite obvious is that if Kangaroos bat first and manage to get a monstrous score on board, that would take the game far away from Bangladesh.

The Kangaroos also have a psychological advantage over them because of their unbeaten record in the world cup, and to break this losing streak, the Tigers need to play fearless cricket.