Cricket World Cup LIVE: Australia v Pakistan in Bengaluru

David Warner received a most unlikely life with a dreadful from dropped catch from Usama Mir making his World Cup debut. Warner attempted to pull a short, wide ball from Afridi but skied it to mid-on, where Usama missed it trying to hug the ball to his chest.

Australia 0/27 from 5 overs: Warner 11, Marsh 14

David Warner was dropped on 10.Credit: AP

After a relatively sedate start David Warner has joined Mitch Marsh at the six party. The left hander lifted the first ball of the fourth over, From Hasan Ali, over backward square leg for six. It proved an expensive over, with Marsh crashing the last ball through point to the boundary

Mitch Marsh hit a six from his second ball.Credit: Getty

Pakistan have won the toss and have chosen to field. With a good start on this pitch, the sky’s the limit for Australia. But Pakistan’s new-ball attack is strong.

Australia have named an unchanged team. In the warm-ups, there appeared to be some concern about leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who has been troubled by an assortment of injuries and most recently by back spasm. The team’s masseuse has put plenty of work into him. But he’s in the XI.

Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.

Pat Cummins will captain an unchanged side.Credit: AP

It’s a brilliant day in Bengaluru, a mild 30 degrees, dry and made for cricket.

There are long queues outside the ground, which is encouraging because crowds at non-India games in this tournament have been sparse. To judge from conversations with hotel staff and in shops, the Australians are popular here. The names of Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell recur, also Adam Gilchrist.

Queen’s Road outside M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru ahead of tonight’s match.Credit: Greg Baum

Pakistan will have no travelling support, but they won’t lack sympathisers entirely. Asked about the lack of fans, bowler Hasan Ali began flashed a big smile and began to count the newly admitted journalists one-by-one. Evidently, he is something of a humorist. Asked how Pakistan would restrict Australia’s (notionally) powerful batting, he replied: “if it’s a batting friendly track, we won’t play.”

Well, it will be batting friendly. Moreover, there are short square boundaries and even shorter straight boundaries. Two 300-plus scores would not surprise.

While Australia have struggled with the bat in sometimes tricky conditions during this World Cup, Bengaluru offers hope of a much more free-scoring game against Pakistan, with an average one-day score of more than 300 there.

It is Glenn Maxwell’s home ground with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and Steve Smith made 131 the last time Australia played a one-day match in Bengaluru.

Maxwell’s most productive one-day cricket has been against Pakistan. He has always made double figures and averages almost 53 against them. This compares to an overall average of 33.

Glenn Maxwell averages 53 in one-day matches against Pakistan.Credit: Getty