Invincible Australia face winless Pakistan as the pitch in Colombo isn’t expected to allow free-flowing batting.
Winless Pakistan have uphill task of facing near-invincible Australia.
In all women’s international cricket competitions, Pakistan has never defeated Australia. And since they have already lost their first two games against Bangladesh and India, their future in the ODI World Cup will become extremely difficult if that pattern holds true on Wednesday.
The fact that Pakistan has lost 16 ODIs against Australia without ever coming near to winning—the closest defeat margins being 37 runs and four wickets, both of which occurred in 2014—may be even more worrisome for Pakistan.
Pakistan lost by eight wickets, ten wickets, and 101 runs in their most recent match against Australia, a three-match rubber in 2023. In women’s ODIs, they have yet to defeat England (15 tries) or India (12 tries), but statistically speaking, they are the most formidable opponent due to their 16 losses to Australia.
All of this indicates that Pakistan faces a significant challenge. Australia’s first match against New Zealand ended in a resounding victory, while their second match against Sri Lanka was rained out. They are also an almost unbeatable team.
They have won 27 and lost only four of their 32 games since the last World Cup. Pakistan has played 34 ODIs throughout that time, winning 13 and losing 18.
What specific straws would Pakistan try to grab hold of in this situation? First, because to their washout versus Sri Lanka, Australia hasn’t played since October 1. Additionally, they have not yet played in the R Premadasa stadium, where the atmosphere may not be favourable for free-flowing batting. There may be an advantage to be gained because Pakistan has already encountered these circumstances in their loss to India.
Pakistan will be hoping the law of averages catches up and gives them the crucial win and points that they need.