How Australia beating Afghanistan will benefit Pakistan in 2023 World Cup?
Australia are locking horns with Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today (Tuesday, November 7). The Aussies are coming in to this game on the back off five consecutive wins in the marquee ICC tournament. In their last match, they beat England by 33 runs.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, registered a hat-trick of wins against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands in their last three outings. Hashmatullah Shahid-led side beat Netherlands by seven wickets in their last match.
With four wins in seven games, Afghanistan are currently placed sixth in the points table with eight points. A win in their remaining two matches against Australia (ongoing) and South Africa gives them a chance to finish 10 or 12 points depending upon victories.
Thus, Afghanistan can go past fifth-placed Pakistan, who have eight points with only one match remaining in their league stage. The top four teams will play in the World Cup semifinals.
If Afghanistan lose to Australia, Babar Azam-led side can eclipse them by defeating England in their last match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 11 to reach 10 points.
However, even if Australia beat Afghanistan, the latter can beat South Africa in their last league game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to keep their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals alive.
Meanwhile, New Zealand are also in the race for the semifinals. The Blackcaps will play their last league game against Sri Lanka at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on November 9.
Afghanistan opt to bat against Australia in World Cup match
Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the World Cup fixture on Tuesday. They made a solitary change as Naveen ul Haq replaced Fazalhaq Farooqi in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, Australia made two changes as Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh replaced Cameron Green and Steve Smith, respectively.
At the time of writing, Afghanistan were 93/1 after 18 overs, with Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah at the crease. Josh Hazlewood provided the first breakthrough for Australia by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21 runs off 25 balls).
Follow the AFG vs AUS 2023 World Cup live score and updates here.