Australia vs Ireland the 31st match of the ongoing T20 World Cup at the Gabba in Brisbane. The match will start at 1.30 PM IST.
Before the World Cup began, everyone across the globe placed Australia among the title contenders. They had their best possible lineup and the advantage of home soil. However, the mighty Aussies were handed a crushing 89-run defeat by their rivals New Zealand in the Super 12 opener. Australia came back in strong by beating Sri Lanka in their next game but the abandoned fixture against England significantly blew their knockout qualification chances.
Australia needs a massive win against Ireland to boost their NRR and remain in knockout contention. But for that to happen, they will need their senior players like David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, and Cummins to step up.
On the other hand, Ireland have been exceptional in the World Cup so far. They defeated West Indies in the group stage and England in the Super 12 stage in a rain-affected game. Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, and Paul Stirling have contributed handsomely with the bat, while Gareth Delany and Joshua Little have proved their worth with the ball.
IRE, however, would want more significant Mark Adair and Tector, as both have blown hot and cold in the tournament. The all-rounders George Dockrell and Gareth Delany also need to show some consistency. On paper, AUS will start as the firm favorite but cant the Irish side lightly.
Both teams faced each other only once in the 2012 World Cup, with Australia winning the game by 7 wickets. This will be the first T20I between these 2 teams after almost a decade and also their first T20 World clash.
AUS v IRE: Pitch Report
Gabba has a capacity of 42000 spectators. The two ends at The Gabba are known as the Stanley Street End, and the Vulture Street End. The stadium hosts multiple sports. The pitch here is a balanced one, the batters need to get their eye in before going for the attacking shots, the fast bowlers tend to get lots of lateral movement early on and the spinners usually play a crucial role in the middle overs. The Captain winning the toss will choose to bowl first.
Ireland probable playing XI;
Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Barry McCarthy and Joshua Little.
Australia probable playing XI;
David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Matches won by teams batting first: 1
Matches won by teams bowling first: 0
1st-innings avg score: 165
2nd-innings avg score: 155
AUS vs IRE Form Guide
Australia: L-NR-W-L-NR
Ireland: W-W-L-W-NR
