Australia vs Pakistan World Cup 2023. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia, Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Australia and Pakistan will face off in the 18th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday, October 20, 2023, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Australia had lost two consecutive matches to India and South Africa before finally getting a win on the board against Sri Lanka. Adam Zampa picked up four wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins took two wickets each to help Australia bowl out Sri Lanka for 209 in 43.3 overs. In the chase, Mitchell Marsh (52), Marnus Labuschagne (40), Josh Inglis (58), and Glenn Maxwell (31) all made valuable contributions to help Australia win by five wickets in 35.2 overs. With one win in three games and a negative net-run rate of 0.734, Australia are placed just above the Netherlands in seventh place in the points table.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are coming off a loss to arch-rivals India in their previous match. Babar Azam (50) and Mohammad Rizwan (49) put up a half-century partnership for the first wicket, but the rest of the batting lineup collapsed from 155/2 to 191 all out. Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali picked up two and one wicket each, respectively, but it was not enough to restrict India, who eventually won by seven wickets. With two wins in three games and a negative net-run rate of 0.137, Pakistan is placed fourth in the points table.
Australia and Pakistan are both in need of a win in this match to boost their chances of qualifying for the semifinals. The match is expected to be close, and the outcome may depend on which team performs better under pressure.
AUS vs PAK Head-to-Head in ODIs
| Matches Played | Australia won | Pakistan won | NR | Tie |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
AUS vs PAK Head-to-Head in ODIs
| Matches Played | Australia won | Pakistan won | NR | Tie |
| 107 | 69 | 34 | 3 | 1 |