Cricket

Australia vs South Africa prediction and betting odds: ICC World Cup 2023

October 11, 2023 4:48 am
Australia vs South Africa prediction and betting odds: ICC World Cup 2023

Australia will look to get back to their winning ways when they face South Africa in what will be the 10th match of the 2023 World Cup. This encounter will be the first of this tournament at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Our top Australia vs South Africa predictions

With Australia having lost their opener, another defeat here could effectively mean they need to win six of their next seven matches to have a chance of semifinal qualification. On the other hand, South Africa enter this contest with the quiet confidence of a team which is coming together well.

First Prediction: Australia to win: 8/11 (1.72)

While South Africa did get the better of the same opponent in the recent ODIs, this is a full-strength Aussie side which will test the opposition side to the fullest. Where Australia might struggle a tad is in their spin bowling department but this doesn’t seem to be a surface which would have a lot of help for spinners.

Second Prediction: Top Australia bowler – Josh Hazlewood: 4/1 (5.0)

Josh Hazlewood broke the back of the Indian batting in their opener and he enters this match with not just that confidence but also with the best record among these Aussie bowlers against South Africa. He has 25 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 27.44 and we anticipate he will be the bowler to watch out here too.

AUS vs SA – Can Australia reverse the trend?

Australia haven’t had the best of times on the field recently, losing to South Africa in a five-match series despite being 2-0 up and then losing to India in three of their previous four matches including the World Cup 2023 opener. South Africa opened their campaign with a convincing victory over Sri Lanka and are brimming with confidence.

Australia

Things haven’t looked very good for Australia recently and they would so like to reverse things around here. They were bowled out for 199 on a brute of a spin-friendly pitch and will hope that the Lucknow surface allows their batsmen to play more freely and the bowlers to get some more bounce.

South Africa

South Africa have rarely gone into a World Cup match against Australia feeling this good about themselves and while they aren’t quite the bookmakers’ favourite even here, their recent results suggest they might just have an upper hand. Especially after shocking the Aussies in a five-match series after having lost the first two ODIs.

Australia vs South Africa h2h score

It’s 54-50 in favour of South Africa in ODI cricket but more importantly, over the last 10 matches between these two teams, Australia have lost eight. In World Cup cricket, Australia hold a very small edge having won three and lost two with a very famous tie in the 1999 World Cup being the sixth result.

Pitch report and weather conditions

There have been four previous ODIs played at this ground including one between India and South Africa just last year. It turned out to be a 40-over contest in which 249 was defended by the Proteas. The previous three matches held here came between West Indies and Afghanistan and they weren’t very high-scoring either.

Hot and humid has been the story of the tournament so far in most parts of the country and it can be expected to be no different. A high of 35 degrees centigrade with humidity touching 65% can be expected to take a toll on the players.

Key match details for AUS vs SA

  • Date & Time: 8.30 am GMT, Thursday, October 12
  • Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
  • Where to watch: In the UK, fans can watch this mouth-watering clash with Sky Sports Indian viewers can watch it on Star Sports and Hot Star. In Australia, this match be broadcast live with Fox Cricket and FoxtelGo while South Africa and other parts of the African continent will be able to view this with SuperSport Cricket and SuperSport Grandstand.

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