Australia captain Pat Cummins won the all-important toss and elected to field against Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup fixture against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on November 11 (Saturday). The Baggy Greens made two changes to their playing XI with Steve Smith and Sean Abbott replacing Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc. In the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto donned the captaincy hat for Bangladesh.
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Australia Playing XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins(c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Bangladesh Playing XI: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
Although Australia, a five-time World Cup champion, has already secured their semi-final berth and determined South Africa as their opponent, the game remains crucial for different reasons.
For Pat Cummins and his Australian team, motivation lies in an unusual aspect. Daniel Vettori, Australia's assistant coach, humorously remarked that their goal is to secure second place, which would allow them to occupy the home dressing room for the semi-final at Eden Gardens.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, faces a different challenge. Positioned to take the eighth spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy, they need to avoid a substantial defeat. With captain Shakib Al Hasan not playing, the team must prevent losing by more than 175 runs to avoid falling behind Sri Lanka in the points table. This scenario adds a layer of complexity to the match, as Bangladesh aims to mitigate the margin of defeat to maintain their standing.
Squads
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Anamul Haque, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins(c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Steven Smith
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