The 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup is in full swing, and two heavy hitters – Australia and South Africa – will take to the field in a huge clash on Thursday.
These teams have plenty of recent history, with the Proteas claiming a 3-2 series victory not so long ago, so expect both outfits to bring their best in a tight contest.
Draftstars has put up a huge $12,000 contest, so check out our full preview with fantasy tips below.
2023 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup Fantasy Tips
Australia vs South Africa
Australia Predicted XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
South Africa Predicted XI: Quinton De Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
The pressure was on Australia heading into this tournament, and they did little to ease the burden in Game 1 against India, going down by six wickets. A paltry total of 199 was nowhere near enough to challenge the hosts, although the Aussies did make things interesting early in the second innings by taking 3/2. With the bat, Steve Smith (46) and David Warner (41) were the only batsmen to clear 40, as spinners rolled through the middle order yet again. On the bowling front, Josh Hazlewood (3/38) was back to his best, but it wasn’t enough. Australia will likely take a similar XI into this fixture, but Marcus Stoinis will likely come into the side for an out of form Cameron Green. The heat will also be on captain Pat Cummins, who has struggled to make an impact in this format recently.
On the other hand, all is well in the South African camp, the squad brimming with confidence after a crushing win over Sri Lanka. In a massive statement to the competition, the Proteas tallied 428 with the bat, as De Kock, van der Dussen and Markram all passed the ton. It was a well-rounded batting performance from the tournament underdogs, and only skipper Temba Bavuma missed out. The monster total was far beyond the reach of Sri Lanka, who ultimately fell 102 runs short, with Gerald Coetzee picking up three wickets as the bowlers shared the spoils. Despite his strong performance in the opening game, I could see Coetzee missing out on selection for this game, with Tabraiz Shamsi a possible inclusion to test out Australia’s weakness against spin.
Draftstars Tips
Love It – Aiden Markram $17,700
Markram produced a stunning performance in South Africa’s CWC opener against Sri Lanka, belting 106 off 54 points to top the slate with 211 DFS points. The big hitting no. 4 is one of, if not South Africa’s biggest weapon with the bat, and he also displayed that with some telling knocks in the ODI series against Australia.
Love It- Keshav Maharaj $11,300
Australia’s woes against spin are well documented, and Maharaj is poised to take advantage of that in this match. Priced at just over $11k, the left arm tweaker is sensational value for a bowler who will likely bowl his full allotment of overs and should enjoy matching up against Australia’s right-hander heavy XI. Maharaj managed 38 DFS points in the game against Sri Lanka.
Don’t Love It- Kagiso Rabada $16,200
While Australia’s batting has left plenty to be desired, Warner, Marsh and Smith have actually been doing a decent job at the top of the innings, making it difficult for opening bowlers to have a huge impact. Furthermore, Rabada has not taken more than three wickets in an ODI since March, and I don’t believe the pitch at Lucknow will suit his style of bowling.
Don’t Love It- Alex Carey $9,800
Carey’s woes continued against India, with the wicketkeeper batsman falling for a second ball duck to finish on -10 DFS points. The left-hander hasn’t cleared 20 runs in any of his previous 10 innings, and you can tell in his demeanour at the crease. While Carey can still score well thanks to dismissals behind the stumps, I don’t trust his batting enough to make him a viable option.
Who Knows- Mitch Marsh $17,800
Since taking on the role as ODI opener, Marsh has been up and down. The burly right-hander has displayed his power with scores of 96 and 71 against India and South Africa, but simultaneously he has also registered scores of 0, 4, 6 and 0 over that period. Given that Marsh isn’t bowling many overs these days, it’s a massive gamble to select him at $18k with the knowledge that he could ruin your chances to make a DFS profit.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
