Australia and Bangladesh will clash in a 2023 ICC ODI World Cup dead rubber on Saturday afternoon, with the fate of both teams already sealed heading into the knockout phase of the tournament.
This game serves as a dress rehearsal for Australia’s semi-final against South Africa, while Bangladesh are playing for pride after a disappointing campaign.
Check out our full preview of the match below, complete with betting tips and player props!
ICC Cricket World Cup Betting Tips
Australia vs Bangladesh
Pune, Saturday 11th November, 4:00pm (AEDT)
Australia
The group stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup have been a rollercoaster ride for the Aussies, who have locked in a top four berth despite kicking off their campaign with two losses.
Since those defeats its been a flawless run for the men in green and gold, and their most recent victory was one of the most memorable in World Cup history.
Up against a desperate Afghanistan side, Pat Cummins and his fellow bowlers struggled to make inroads as the underdogs worked their way to 5/291, with Josh Hazlewood (2/39) the only standout.
In reply, Australia’s top order fell apart, collapsing to 7/91 before a miracle took place. Returning from concussion, Glenn Maxwell played arguably the best ever ODI innings, blasting 201* off 128 balls to see his side home with three overs remaining.
Battling full body cramps, Maxwell made batting look easy, hitting sixes off one leg as skipper Cummins (12* off 68) held up the other end.
The heroic pair ensured that Australia will qualify for the semis, taking the pressure off this final group game.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Australia rest some of their stars for this encounter, especially considering the massive workload of the fast bowlers.
Regardless of the selected XI, a win is likely here.
Australia Predicted XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Bangladesh
Bangladesh have had a tournament to forget, winning just two games to sit eighth with one game to play.
A few players have produced serviceable returns – Mahmudullah has tallied 296 runs at an average of 59, while bowlers Shoriful Islam and Mehidy Hassan have 10 wickets each.
However, the team has not come together to perform consistently enough, despite winning their last match against Sri Lanka.
It was a controversial affair – Angelo Mathews was given out Timed Out in an international cricket first – but Bangladesh were able to run down Sri Lanka’s 279 with three wickets in hand, led by Shanto (90 off 101 balls) and Shakib (82 off 65).
The win will give the Tigers some confidence, but they have little to play for in this one, so it’s hard to expect great things.
The loss of skipper Shakib Al Hasan to a finger injury will also dampen spirits – he has been replaced in the squad by Anamul Haque.
Bangladesh Predicted XI: Tanzid Hasan, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Anamul Haque, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Betting Tips
For the second game in a row, Australia are almost unbackable favourites, so I’m avoiding the head-to-head market.
Apart from a couple of recent hiccups, Australia’s top order have been excellent throughout the tournament so far, with Warner scoring plenty of runs and Head scoring a ton immediately on return.
Against a weak Bangladesh bowling attack I expect the attacking openers to start quickly on Saturday, going past the first wicket line.
Australia Fall of Wicket 1 – Over 35.5
$1.83
Player Prop Quick Tips
Man of the Match – Travis Head $7 (Ladbrokes) – As previously mentioned, I expect Australia’s openers to start well against the Bangladesh quicks, and Head has already shown his explosive ceiling with 109 off 67 balls against New Zealand. The dynamic left-hander is still working towards his best form, so this could be the game where he hits his straps.
