Australia v Pakistan, start time, how to watch, live stream, updates, scorecard, team news, Pat Cummins, Pakistan flu, latest

Australia captain Pat Cummins has revealed that his teammates informed him of Michael Clarke’s claim that he would be ruled out for the clash against Sri Lanka.

Clarke, who captained Australia 139 times across all formats, thought Cummins would be bowled out in sensational fashion, but the former skipper was wrong.

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Cummins then took two wickets against the Sri Lankans as Australia secured a vital World Cup victory to maintain their chances of a top-four finish.

Speaking to reporters in India, Cummins wasn’t too worried about what Clarke had to say.

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“Yeah, a few boys let me know I was abandoned,” Cummins said.

“So that was interesting.”

As for Australia’s line-up for the bumper match against Pakistan, Cummins kept his cards relatively close to his chest but did not expect any surprise selections.

“Everyone is healthy, so dare you say it will be pretty similar,” Cummins said.

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A victory for Australia would bring them level on points with South Africa and Pakistan, who both have two World Cup victories to their name.

History is also on Australia’s side for their showdown against Pakistan, having won four of their last five ODI World Cup clashes and 15 of their last 18 against their sub-continental foes.

PAKISTAN STAR EXPECTS FLU WITH STRICT HOTEL RESTRICTIONS

Fast bowler Hasan Ali believes the fever that spread through the Pakistan team during the World Cup was caused by being largely confined to their hotel.

“We can’t go out much. If we want to go out, we have to go with a whole security team,” Hasan (AEDT) said on Friday.

Pakistan is on its first visit to India in seven years while only two of the 15 players in the team had already played in the country before this World Cup.

Strained political and diplomatic relations between the two neighbors mean that Pakistan and India only meet in international cricket tournaments and not bilateral events.

Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup was dependent on security clearance from Islamabad and even when this was granted, the government said it still had serious reservations about the team’s security.

Visas for the Pakistani team were only issued two days before their departure.

“The hospitality is good and we are well taken care of, but we cannot go out and we have to inform security before going out because security is a problem,” added Hasan, 29, who has an Indian wife.

Asked about the 13 fit players available for Friday’s match against Australia, Hasan said: “Yes, most of the players have recovered from the fever, but when you are living in a hotel room, room sickness arrived.”

Six Pakistani players – Abdullah Shafique, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman along with reserves Mohammad Haris and Zaman Khan fell victim to flu and fever on Tuesday.

Pakistani fans across the border were effectively barred from the World Cup after failing to obtain visas.

Only a handful attended the high-profile clash against India at the 132,000-seat Ahmedabad stadium, mostly expatriates from the United States and the United Kingdom.

“The number of fans has increased and with journalists, they are now between 45 and 47. Yes, we miss our fans, but it is not in our hands,” said Hasan, who is the highest wicket-taker in the Pakistan in this World Cup with seven.

The Pakistan team faced a hostile crowd in Ahmedabad, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to lodge a complaint with the International Cricket Council.

They protested against the “inappropriate behavior” of Indian fans towards Pakistani players.

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