Brisbane: Favourites Australia will look to go all guns blazing as they meet Bangladesh in a Pool A match of the cricket World Cup here today, with the threat of a washout looming large due to the Tropical Cyclone Marcia.
Co-hosts Australia kicked off their campaign in style, defeating old enemies England by a comfortable margin of 111 runs, while Bangladesh managed to win their tournament opener after a few hiccups against spirited debutantes Afghanistan.
However, going into today’s match, four-time winners Australia, looking for their fifth world title, start as clear favourites against the Asian outfit that debuted in the World Cup in 1999.
The good news for the hosts is that skipper Michael Clarke will play in the game having missed the England match after failing to shake-off the lingering after-effects of his long-term hamstring problems.
“This was the plan for Michael all along, for him to be right for this game,” said wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
What could, however, come in Australia’s way is the extreme weather situation in the state.
The Gabba ground is readying itself for the cyclone to make its forecast way down the Queensland coast.
In a worrying build-up, the Australian team has been forced to hold training sessions indoors while the storm has left the four-time world champions scratching their heads over the potential make-up of their team.
As far as the bowling attack is concerned, there are speculations that Pat Cummins could join Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson.
Stand-in skipper George Bailey is expected to make way for Clarke despite calls for all-rounder Shane Watson to be dropped after his first ball duck in the win over England.
Teams (from):
Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, George Bailey, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner, Xavier Doherty
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riaz, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Nasir Hossain, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny. (PTI)
