Cricket World Cup 2023: All the build-up to Australia’s match against Bangladesh
Australia is yet to make a call on whether Glenn Maxwell plays against Bangladesh, while Steve Smith is bracing to return and another star looks set to make his World Cup debut.
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Australia will leave it late to determine whether Glenn Maxwell plays against Bangladesh on Saturday but Steve Smith is firming to return while Sean Abbott is squarely in the frame to make his World Cup debut in what is effectively a dead rubber.
Only a handful of the Aussies were due to train on match eve as the side monitors a heavy workload ahead of next week’s semi-final against South Africa, which will almost certainly be held in Kolkata on Thursday.
Maxwell has been in recovery mode since his heroic double century against Afghanistan during which he dealt with debilitating full-body cramps.
Aussie assistant coach Daniel Vettori said on Friday that Maxwell had been left to take it easy and that team medicos would make a late assessment on his condition.
“He’s definitely been in full recovery mode for the last few days. We all saw the effects of the innings an in particular the heat, so I think today’s a big day to see how he pulls up,” Vettori said.
“He does have a track record being able to bounce back pretty quickly.”
Smith missed the match against Afghanistan with vertigo but trained on match eve, indicating that he provided he did not have any further issues with his balance he would slot back into the XI.
Paceman Abbott meanwhile was also one of a small contingent of players who took to the nets in Pune on Friday.
The quick is the lone member of Australia’s 15-man squad yet to play during the tournament, and is unlikely to get a better chance than against the lowly Tigers.
Frontline fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have all played every possible game to date, and while Vettori said Abbott wouldn’t play just for the sake of it, he is being considered to line up on Saturday.
“I think if you take it all the way back to the start, to try and get those three fast bowlers through nine games in a short period of time,” Vettori said.
“We always presumed that would be a tough challenge. So Sean was always in the picture as a potential replacement, so I think that will come into the equation once again.
“I don’t think it’ll be a case of trying to play a game just for the sake of it. It’ll be a bit of a case of one of those three fast bowlers needs a bit of a break.”
Starc, who dominated the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, has been unable to his such heights during this edition, averaging 43.90 with the ball at an economy rate of 6.55.
However bowling coach Vettori backed the left-armer to find his best.
“You still see the threat every game with that ability to swing the ball in that first two to three overs, particularly at night time. We’ve seen the difference in bowling in the afternoon as opposed to night,” Vettori said.
“We have no doubt that he can be disruptive.”
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Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2023: All the build-up to Australia’s match against Bangladesh
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