PAK vs AUS, CWC 2023: Pakistan Captain Babar Azam Wins Toss And Opts To Field First

In what is expected to be a high-scoring contest against Australia at Bengaluru, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has won the toss and has elected to field first. The Men in Green have also made a big change, dropping an out-of-form Shadab Khan to accommodate Usama Mir as they hope to bounce back from a humbling defeat to India.

Shadab Khan, the frontline all-rounder, has been struggling in the last few matches. The youngster managed only 2 runs against India with the bat and went wicketless in his 4 overs by leaking 31 runs. Shadab has also taken only 4 wickets in the last 5 ODIs.

Usama Mir, meanwhile, troubled the Aussie batters in the warm-up game in Hyderabad, dismissing Mitchell Marsh and David Warner, finishing with figures of 5-0-31-2.

Aussie skipper Pat Cummins stated that he would have bowled first as well, but is happy to bat and announced an unchanged side. The five-time champions were clinical across facets against Sri Lanka during their five-wicket victory in Hyderabad after losses against India and South Africa. Hence, they will hope to continue that momentum.

Playing XI of both teams:

Pakistan playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.

Australia playing XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood