T20 WC, Australia vs Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie elects to field
Hosts Australia and Ireland square off in the Super 12 Group 1 match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Brisbane. Both teams have one win, one loss and an abandoned encounter under their belt so far. Hence, a loss in the upcoming game would largely hurt either side. Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie has won the toss and elected to field.
Here are the two teams
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood. Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Lorcan Tucker (wicket-keeper), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Fionn Hand, Joshua Little.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Gabba in Brisbane will host this duel on Monday (October 30). The venue has hosted six T20Is so far with the first-innings score being 168. As the numbers suggest, the track is fruitful for batters. Hence, restricting runs would be a challenge. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
A look at the head-to-head record
The two sides have met just once in T20Is before, back in 2012. It was also a T20 World Cup match played in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Chasing 124, the Aussies recorded a seven-wicket win, crossing the line in 15.1 overs. Shane Watson took a three-fer alongside scoring a 30-ball 51 in the game. He thus was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Who are the key performers?
Andrew Balbirnie is Ireland's highest run-scorer in T20Is this year with 581 runs. Curtis Campher is the only all-rounder to scalp a hat-trick and score a fifty in T20 WC. Marcus Stoinis smashed a 17-ball half-century in his last outing against Sri Lanka, the fastest by an Australian in T20Is. So far, Josh Hazlewood has taken 24 wickets in 15 T20Is this year.
