Australian Cricket Team. (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Five-time champions Australia lock horns with qualifiers Netherlands in the 24th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup on Wednesday, October 25 in Delhi. On paper, this is a mismatch but this World Cup has already seen some monumental upsets, and the ‘Men in Yellow’ will do well not to take the Dutch side lightly. Australia began their campaign with two comprehensive defeats against India and South Africa. However, Pat Cummins and Co. brought themselves back into the tournament with consecutive wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
While the opening pair of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh stitched a 259-run stand in the previous game against Pakistan, the rest of the Australian batters failed to capitalize on the sensational start and the innings ended at 367/9 in 50 overs. Pakistan gave a good account of themselves in their chase and almost made their opponents pay for their lackluster finish to the innings.
There are a lot of areas of concern for Australia. Apart from Warner, Marsh, and Josh Inglis, no other Australian batter has reached the 50-run mark in a particular innings. In the bowling department, Adam Zampa has been amongst the wickets, scalping nine in four games. However, the experienced seam-bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Cummins have not yet come to the party.
The Netherlands showed promise in their opening game against Pakistan before being hammered by an in-form New Zealand side. However, in their third game, Scott Edwards and Co. scripted history as they managed to defeat South Africa in a rain-curtailed contest. The Dutch side recovered from 91/6 to post 262 in their most recent game against Sri Lanka. However, the ‘Lankan Lions’ chased down the target in the 49th over with five wickets to spare.
The Netherlands have some exciting youngsters and seasoned veterans on their side and it gives them a fine balance. A problem area for them is that the likes of Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, and Teja Nidamanuru have failed to live up to their expectations with the bat. However, Scott Edwards, Sybrand Engelbrecht, and Logan van Beek have made decent contributions with the bat. Bas de Leede has been the highest wicket-taker for the European nation so far in the ODI World Cup 2023 as he has picked up seven wickets at 27.29 in four matches.
AUS vs NED Pitch and Conditions
The relaid pitches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi have produced a lot of runs. Three games have been played thus far in the tournament at the venue. Two games were won by teams batting first, and the chasing team triumphed once. Dew wasn’t much of a factor in the most recent game played at this venue between Afghanistan and England. The ball did hold up a bit on the surface in the second innings, and the captain who wins the toss would want to bat first and put up a total in excess of 300.
AUS vs NED, Probable Playing XIs for ODI World Cup 2023, Match 24
Australia (AUS)
Australia will look to go into the clash against the Netherlands with no changes in their playing XI. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are expected to open for one last time, with Travis Head set to return for the next game against New Zealand.
Also Check: Most Runs in ODI World Cup 2023
Predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Netherlands (NED)
The Netherlands do not like tinkering too much with their playing XI. They could back the same XI players who played in the previous game but would love to get some runs from the top order. However, there is a chance of the 39-year-old Wesley Barresi coming in place of Vikramjit Singh, who has scored just 18 runs in three innings since his 52-run knock against Pakistan.
Predicted XI: Vikramjit Singh/Wesley Barresi, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (C & WK), Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
AUS vs NED Head-to-Head in ODIs:
| Matches Played | Australia Won | Netherlands Won | First Played | Last Played |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 Feb 2003 | 18 Mar 2007 |
AUS vs NED Broadcast Details:
| Date | Timing | Live Streaming | Live Broadcast |
| Wednesday, October 25 | 2:00 PM (IST) | Disney+ Hotstar app and website | Star Sports Network |