The ICC World Cup 2023 will begin on October 5 and will be played across 10 venues in India. There are 10 teams featuring and a total of 48 matches will be played in the duration of the tournament. The final will be played on November 19.
One of the favorites to win the tournament, Australia, the five-time champions, will be captained by Pat Cummins in this tournament with Steve Smith as his deputy. The Aussies have a pretty balanced squad and many of their players have vast experience of playing in India, thanks to the IPL.
Australia will begin its World Cup 2023 campaign against hosts India on October 8 in Chennai. This will be a huge opportunity for the Australian team who had made it into the semi-finals of the 2019 event in England. Australia will be eyeing their sixth World Cup trophy when they begin their tournament.
Here is the Australia’s strongest predicted playing XI for ODI World Cup 2023:
1. David Warner
David Warner. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
The veteran David Warner will be playing in his final World Cup tournament and would like to add to his 2015 World Cup winner’s medal. Warner has been in good form as evident from the recent tours of South Africa and India and would want to continue the same run.
Warner has scored 992 runs in 18 World Cup matches with four centuries and three fifties. His highest score is 178 which came against Afghanistan and he averages 62.00. His familiarity with most of the venues in India will help the Aussies in their quest for a sixth World title.
2. Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Mitchell Marsh has been a different beast ever since he was asked to open the innings. He scored 71 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 56 balls. He then hammered 96 runs against India in Rajkot with 13 fours and three sixes. In the absence of Travis Head, Marsh has taken well to the job of utilizing the powerplay overs to the max.imum.
Mitchell Marsh, along with Cameron Green, also provides a bowling option to Australia. Marsh has played 79 ODIs thus far, scoring 2231 runs with one century and 17 fifties at a strike rate of 94.21. He also has picked 54 wickets with a best of 5/33. He was also part of Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning team.
3. Steve Smith
Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Argyably the best batter in the Australian side, Steve Smith would like to add one more World Cup win badge to his remarkable career. In 145 ODIs, Smith has 5054 runs at an average of 44.33 with 12 tons and 30 fifties.
Known as an accumulator, Smith has changed his approach a bit in ODIs, scoring at more than 100 strike rate in recent games. Smith had made his World Cup debut in 2011 and so far has played 24 matches scoring 834 runs with one ton and eight fifties at an average of 46.33. He will be one of the players to look out for given his experience and penchant for big knocks.
4. Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Marnus Labuschagne entered the Australian World Cup 2023 squad via the back door. He wasn’t their first-choice pick in the original 15-member squad. But injury to Ashton Agar led to Australia picking him over another proper spinner.
Not known as a textbook player, Labuschagne like Steve Smith has changed the way he plays in limited overs. This was evident from his recent performances against South Africa and India. In 38 ODI, Labuschagne has 1268 runs at an average of 37.29 with two centuries and eight fifties to his name.
5. Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images for ECB)
Glenn Maxwell made his comeback into the Australian team against India after missing plenty of games due to an injury. He had been out due to issues with his ankle stemming from his broken leg. He has played 18 World Cup matches, scoring 501 runs at a strike rate of 169.25 with one century and two fifties.
He recently picked a four-fer against India in Rajkot and Australians trust him enough to be their second spinner with Adam Zampa. Overall, Maxwell had 3495 runs at a strike rate of 124.68 and picked 64 wickets in 129 ODIs. His experience of playing in India will be crucial for Australi.
6. Cameron Green
Cameron Green. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Cameron Green will play in his first World Cup tournament. Thus far he has played 20 ODIs, scoring 379 runs with a best of 89* and picked 16 wickets with a best of 5/33. He recently played in IPL 2023 for Mumbai Indians and is familiar with the conditions here.
A dashing big hitter down the order and more than capable medium pace bowler, Green has been touted as the next big thing in Australian cricket. He, however, might compete with Marcus Stoinis for the spot of the pace all-rounder in the Australian XI and might even warm the bench for a few matches.
7. Alex Carey (WK)
Alex Carey. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The first-choice wicketkeeper for Australia, Alex Carey has done well to become one of the most dangerous lower-order batters in the world in limited-overs cricket. He is capable of batting at the top as well and is very safe with the gloves behind the stumps. He has made 1814 runs in 71 ODIs with one century and eight fifties to his name.
He had a wonderful 2019 World Cup, scoring 375 runs in 10 matches with three fifties. Australia will hope Carey can repeat his feat in the 2023 World Cup in India as well. Like most Australian teammates, Carey has also played in IPL in India.
8. Pat Cummins (C)
Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: ICC/Twitter)
Member of the 2015 World Cup winning team, Pat Cummins will lead the Australian team in the 2023 World Cup in India. Cummins is the leading bowler in the world and boasts a terrific record in ODIs. In 77 matches, Cummins has 126 wickets with a best of 5/70 and an economy of 5.23.
He can mold himself as per the needs of the conditions and with his extensive IPL experience, Cummins is well-versed in Indian grounds. He can bowl a good yorker and uses a bouncer to good effect. He will be a key factor if Australia is to make it into the final four.
9. Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell (Photo Source: Twitter)
Mitchell Starc started his warm-up well as he took a hat-trick for Australia against the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023. He is in the top five of the all-time most wicket-takers in World Cup history despite playing only 18 matches.
Starc has 49 wickets at an average of 14.81 and an economy of 4.64 with a best bowling of 6/28. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2019 World Cup with 27 scalps to his name. He had a World Cup highlight reel moment as well when he clean-bowled Ben Stokes with a perfect yorker. And Australia will hope that Starc provides more such moments in the 2023 World Cup.
10. Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood is another main bowler for Australia, who will come in handy with his penchant for bowling Test-match line and length in ODIs. He has an impressive record in ODIs, with 116 scalps in 74 matches. His best bowling is 6/52 at an average of 26.41 and an economy of 4.70.
Hazlewood is often the one giving early wickets to Australia alongside Starc. Or he is used to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs and often at the death. He certainly, with Starc and Cummins, will be a nightmare to face for any opponents on any kind of surface.
11. Adam Zampa
Adam Zampa. (Photo Source: Disney+Hotstar)
Adam Zampa is the no.1 spinner in limited overs for Australia. The leg-spinner has played 85 ODIs, taking 142 wickets with a best of 5/35. His economy is 5.53 and he has eight four-wicket hauls to his name as well. Bowling on Indian pitches will be a huge advantage for Zampa and with ICC mandating at least 70-meter-long boundaries, he will become deadly on certain surfaces like Delhi, Lucknow, and Chennai to say the least.