AUS vs SA Preview: Proteas eager to shackle Aussie confidence

Australia and South Africa will take on each other in Match 10 of the ODI World Cup 2023 on Thursday, October 12 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Australia are coming into the game having lost their opening fixture against India by six wickets in Chennai.

The Australian batting faltered against the Indian spin attack as they were bundled out for 199. They were also a bit sloppy in the field as Mitchell Marsh dropped Virat Kohli early on in his innings which turned out to be the game-changing moment as Kohli went on to score a sublime 85.

On the other hand, South Africa got their World Cup 2023 campaign off to a terrific start with a win against Sri Lanka by 102 runs. The Temba Bavuma-led side posted the highest team total in World Cup history of 428/5 as Aiden Markram registered the fastest hundred in World Cup history off 49 balls alongside fellow centurions Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen.

Notably, the two teams have a fierce rivalry in the World Cup as Australia have won three times out of the six matches played between the two teams. On the other hand, South Africa have won two games with one match ending in a tie.

Pitch Report

There have been four matches played at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow where two each have been won by teams batting and bowling first. The average first innings score at the venue has been 234 while the highest target chased is 250. The track traditionally aids spinners and hence they are expected to have a great time in the middle. However, there has not been a game played at the venue so far in the tournament and hence players would be unaware of the current conditions. The captain winning the toss is likely to bowl first keeping the dew factor in mind under lights.

Probable Playing XI