Australia vs South Africa, World Cup 2023: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow Weather and Pitch Report

Australia will take on South Africa in the 10th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday, 12 October. Australia come into this match after their disappointing loss in their tournament opener against India. South Africa, on the other hand, will be fresh and confident after their rampant win over Sri Lanka in their first match.

World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table

Under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, the Proteas aim to maintain their winning streak against Australia. Their top-order batters, who dominated Sri Lanka, will be keen to deliver another strong performance against the Australian team.

Aiden Markram was the standout South African batter and will be the key against Australia as well. He delivered a remarkable performance in their last match, where he smashed an impressive 106 runs off just 54 balls. Markram’s explosive batting played a pivotal role in South Africa’s commanding total of 428 runs.

Australia vs South Africa: Lucknow weather forecast for World Cup match

Expect a hot, sultry day in Lucknow. The temperature when the match will start is expected to hover around 34 degrees. There will not be any cloud cover and the humidity is expected to be around 36 per cent. The temperature will drop down to 28 degrees as the evening sets in.

Australia vs South Africa: Pitch report from Lucknow Ekana Stadium

The Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has favoured spinners and was quite slow and sluggish in the IPL. As the game progresses, this sluggish pitch can also work to the advantage of fast bowlers, who can utilise various tactics such as slower deliveries and cutters in addition to their standard deliveries.

Despite the limited number of ODIs played at this venue, just four in total, a pattern has emerged. The average first-inning score stands at 220, with the side batting first and second each winning two matches apiece.

Australia vs South Africa: Full squads

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.