3 minute read
Australia sailed through the initial group stage of the T20 World Cup with a perfect record of four wins from four and they will want to carry that momentum into their opening Super 8s clash with Bangladesh.
The Baggy Greens saw off Oman, England, Namibia and Scotland to secure top spot in Group B and now move on to face Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India, with two places in the semi-finals up for grabs.
First up is a showdown with the Tigers in Antigua, with Bangladesh having beaten Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Nepal to claim second place in Group D behind South Africa, who edged a thriller between the two sides by four runs to secure top spot.
Bangladesh have never been beyond this stage of a T20 World Cup, while Australia were crowned champions in 2021 and lost in the 2010 final to England.
. What: Australia v Bangladesh
. Where: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
. When: 10:30 (AEST), Friday 21st June 2024
. How to watch: Prime Video
. Odds: Australia 1.14, Bangladesh 5.50
Aussies have all the bases covered
Australia have looked imperious in the competition to date, impressing with both bat and ball to lie at 4.00 to go all the way and claim the big prize for the second time in three stagings of the competition.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been the standout performer, making two half-centuries from three innings and taking six wickets at an economy rate of 5.77 runs an over.
His hard-hitting role in the middle order is a key one for the Baggy Greens, who have so far been able to rely on left-handers Travis Head and David Warner to provide a strong start at the top of the order.
Stoinis blasted 59 from just 29 balls last time out against Scotland, while Head thrashed 68 from 49 deliveries, with both batters inside the top five runmakers so far in the tournament.
Right-hander Stoinis is an eye-catching 7.50 option to be Team - Top Batter against the Tigers, with Head the joint market leader at 4.00.
With the ball leg-spinner Adam Zampa continues to put in superb performances, having been outstanding in the 50-over World Cup success in India last year.
His nine wickets at an economy rate of 5.87 runs an over leave him joint second on the wicket-takers list for the competition to date.
The leggie will no doubt have been enthused to see England ace Adil Rashid take 4-11 against Oman at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium less than a week ago.
Zampa is 8.00 to be named as Player of the Match on Friday, while he is 1.72 to take more than 1.5 wickets in the match, having claimed two or more wickets three times in four matches in the tournament.
Bowler options are Bangladesh's strength
Bangladesh head into this match-up knowing that they cannot really compete with Australia for batting firepower, but they do have a bowling attack which can cause problems for any opposition.
Left-arm seam wizard Mustafizur Rahman has bamboozled batters in taking seven wickets during the initial group stage - at an amazing economy rate of 3.37 runs an over and an average as low as 7.71.
Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain has matched the wickets return of Mustafizur, although he has been a good deal more expensive than his team-mate but, like Zampa, might be well-suited to conditions in Antigua.
Seamer Tanzim Hasan Sakib leads the way for the Tigers with nine wickets in the competition, so it is clear that the Aussie batters will be tested well by a bowling attack clearly enjoying the wickets on offer in the Caribbean.
Mustafizur is 4.00 to be Team - Top Bowler on Saturday, with Rishad priced at 4.50 and Tanzim 4.50.
Another warning for this Australian side is the fact that they have lost four of their last six T20Is against Bangladesh, but they appear to be in exactly the sort of form to put a win on the board ahead of their matches against Afghanistan and India.
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