Women's World Cup: Can Bangladesh upset Australia in Visakhapatnam?
What's the story
Bangladesh are all set to take on the reigning champions Australia in their next Women's ODI World Cup match. The encounter will be a test of Bangladesh's growth as a team, especially after their near misses against England and South Africa in this edition. The last time these two teams met was in 2022 when Bangladesh put up a strong fight despite defending just 135 runs due to rain interruptions.
Player spotlight
Key players to watch out for
Marufa Akter will be Bangladesh's trump card with the new ball. She has had a rough patch after her early strikes against England and Pakistan. For Australia, Phoebe Litchfield is one of the young players to watch out for. Despite a lukewarm start in her maiden ODI World Cup, the conditions in Visakhapatnam could work in her favor as runs are on offer and quick bowlers are getting dispatched.
Match preview
Team news and pitch report
Australia are likely to stick with their winning XI that beat India, covering all bases with their spin and pace attack. Bangladesh nearly pulled off a win against South Africa on this ground a few days ago. The pitches in Visakhapatnam have been run-friendly so far, offering some swing early on and purchase for the spin bowlers when they aren't bowling too much over 80km/h.
Story
Australia and Bangladesh's story in this World Cup
Australia are 2nd in the standings so far and remain unscathed after 4 matches. They have gone on to earn three wins whereas one match against Sri Lanka got washed out. Bangladesh started their campaign with a win over Pakistan. Thereafter, they suffered defeats against the likes of England, New Zealand and South Africa. Notably, the matches against England and South Africa were pretty close.
Stats
Australian players approaching these milestones
Ellyse Perry is 86 runs shy of clocking the mark of 4,500 in WODIs. She averages 49.04 in the format. In 121 matches, Alyssa Healy has scored 3,445 runs. She is 55 shy of 3,500 runs. Meanwhile, Beth Mooney is 89 shy of 3,000 WODI runs. Ashleigh Gardner is nearing the 1,500-run mark. She has 1,487 runs at 30.34. Megan Schutt is 4 wickets shy of becoming the 3rd-highest wicket-taker for Australia in WODIs.
Probable XIs
A look at the probable teams
Australia (probable): Alyssa Healy (captain & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux/Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt. Bangladesh (probable): Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (captain & wk), Shorna Akter, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter.
Information
Here's the H2H record
The two teams have met 4 times in Women's ODIs. Australia have a 4-0 win-loss record against Bangladesh and are yet to lose. They have met once in the World Cup.