The Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 takes place in India from October 5 to November 19. Every morning, we’ll round up the latest action and news from the event and bring you the perspectives of our journalists on the ground.
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In the news: Quinton de Kock leads South Africa’s rout of Australia
If South Africa really wants to take this 2023 World Cup under the radar, they need to do better than this. Because in wiping the floor with Australia in Lucknow, winning by a mammoth 134 runs for their second victory in as many matches, they issued one hell of a statement that is impossible to ignore.
As always, Quinton de Kock made the most noise, smashing 109 as South Africa put on 311 for 7 after being asked to bat first. Australia’s decision at the toss and moves to strengthen their batting with Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis brought in for Alex Carey and Cameron Green came to nothing. A lack of momentum with the ball and errors on the field carried over into their chase – dead and buried from the 18th over at 70 for 6. Two consecutive defeats mean they can afford little margin for error in the remaining seven league games. scene.
Click here for the full report
Match analysis: Under the radar or not, South Africa seems to have understood
South Africa is also showing the adaptability needed in a long tournament at different venues. In Delhi they chose four seamers and a spinner, in Lucknow they opted for a three-two combination on a surface that was supposed to offer, and did offer, some turn. By the time Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were called in, most of the damage was already done and questions may still be asked about how quickly they cleaned up the Australian tail. For Kagiso Rabada, South Africa played “pretty much the perfect match”.
Over the last seven years, they have an outstanding record against Australia and had beaten them in 15 out of 20 ODIs before today, including winning a recent home series 3-2. This was the only competitive cricket played by South Africa between April and this World Cup.
Australia, on the other hand, participated in an Ashes, a white-ball series in England and South Africa and played ODIs in India before the tournament and could, understandably, be outspent. Their performance on the pitch suggested as much and the crowd kept a tally of their missed chances and displayed them on a banner to remind them how wrong they were. It could also be that given recent results, South Africa has understood Australia. But there is another option here. It could also be that South Africa has finally understood that they are the team that participated in this World Cup.
Read the full analysis of Firdose Moonda in Lucknow
What to watch: Dissecting Steve Smith’s lbw
Should Smith be more concerned about the type of firing than the decision itself?
Dale Steyn and Tom Moody on Smith being in weight after missing a flick against South Africa
News headlines
Match Preview
Bangladesh vs New Zealand, Chennai (2 p.m. IST; 8:30 a.m. GMT; 7:30 p.m. AEST)
Kane Williamson on his ACL rehab: ‘A series of very small steps’
Kane Williamson speaks to the media ahead of his first match at the 2023 World Cup
The New Zealand heavyweight arrived in Chennai, but in typical Kiwi fashion, the entry was peaceful. New Zealand comfortably beat England and the Netherlands, and will now face a Bangladesh team who are recovering from a big defeat against England. The only saving grace for Bangladesh is a Chennai ground which is likely to help the spinners, but many New Zealand players have IPL experience to rely on, so they will know what to expect at this venue.
Bangladesh’s big defeat against England undid much of their good work against Afghanistan in the first match. The pitch was certainly different between the two matches in Dharamsala, but Bangladesh did not really adapt to the conditions. Their insistence on bowling outside off stump hurt them as they headed wicketless towards that bowling line. Taskin Ahmed bowled just six overs, Shakib Al Hasan finished his ten early and the excessive use of off-spin against left-handers were the kind of stiff tactics Bangladesh won’t want to repeat.
Full overview
Team News
New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson (captain), 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Tom Latham (week), 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Mark Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson/ Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (captain), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (week), 7 Mehidy Hasan, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman/Nasum Ahmed
Feature: Just like that, Williamson is back, bringing the warm glow of the familiar
New Zealand have brought a team to this World Cup that allows them to bat differently in different conditions, and they will be delighted with the return of Kane Williamson. They won their first two matches playing each other on flat surfaces in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, but Chennai promises to be different. This may be where they will need Williamson’s skills the most.
You don’t need to remember all the times Williamson won World Cup matches in New Zealand, but here’s a recap anyway. Auckland, where Mitchell Starc looked almost unstoppable. Birmingham, where Williamson staged a see-saw chase of 242. Manchester, where he turned 7 for 2 into a total of 291. Manchester, again, where he gave up in seaming conditions to give New -Zealand a total she could play.
Read the full report by Karthik Krishnaswamy
