New Delhi: The five-time champion Australia will be taking on the ultimate dark horses of the ICC World Cup 2023, the Afghanistan team, in the 39th match of the tournament at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Both teams are in the race to finish in the final 4, and a win on Tuesday will definitely help them in their campaign.
Third-placed Australia will be in a little better position than Afghanistan as they will be walking into the match with a 5 games win streak, and a win on Tuesday will confirm their place in the third spot, unlike Afghanistan, who will still need to win their last match to qualify for the final four.
An in-form 🇦🇺 is ready to face determined 🇦🇫! 👊🏻
Would we see yet another upset or will the Kangaroos continue their winning run? 👀
Tune-in to #AUSvAFG in the #WorldCupOnStar
Today, 12.30 PM onwards | Star Sports Network#CWC23 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/7jAFk1J3II— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 7, 2023
Journey so far
The start of the campaign for both teams was exactly identical. They both lost their first two games and then they turned things around from there to stand right in front of the gates of the semifinals.
The five-time champions Australia started their campaign with back-to-back losses against India and South Africa, by 6 wickets and 134 runs, respectively, marking their worst start of the World Cup campaign since 1992.
However, things were very different from that point onwards as they went on to win 5 matches in a row and are now at the number three spot with just one victory away from confirming their place in the final four.
In their five matches unbeaten run, Australia defeated Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Netherlands, New Zealand and England by 5 wickets, 62 runs, 309 runs, 5 runs and 33 runs respectively.
Make that FIVE in a row! 🔥
Our Aussie men take down England by 33 runs and are just one win away from securing a spot in the semi-finals! 🇦🇺 #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/8TBb0Gf3Gv
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) November 4, 2023
They will be looking to lock their stand at the number three position at the points table with a win over Afghanistan at Wankhede.
However, achieving that will not be that easy as their opponents have got the better of 3 former world champions in their dream campaign at the ICC World Cup 2023. They defeated the defending champions England by 69 runs, the 1992 Champions Pakistan by 8 wickets and the 1996 Champions Sri Lanka by 7 wickets.
Post-WIN Scenes in Lucknow! 🤝#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #AFGvNED | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/JhOOHi5fIB
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) November 3, 2023
Afghanistan needs to win their next two matches to qualify for the semifinals, and they would like to keep their campaign running high by beating the biggest former champion of them all, i.e., the mighty Aussies.
A Legendary Visit 🤩
The Legend @sachin_rt visited AfghanAtalan’s Training Session this evening at the iconic Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai. He praised #AfghanAtalan’s recent success at the #CWC23 and shared his invaluable insights with them. 👍#WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/hdNFslu481
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) November 6, 2023
Afghanistan cricket team received a special surprise visit, when the god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar himself, visited their training camp and spent time with their players, which will definitely boost the morale of the Afghanistani cricketers.
Head-to-head records
There is not much history between the two teams on the international stage as they have clashed against each other two times previously. Both of the matches were at the World Cup, and to no one’s surprise, Australia emerged victorious in both matches.
Top performers
Australia
Batsman: David Warner- 428 runs
Bowler: Adam Zampa- 19 wickets
Afghanistan:
