Australia Look to Continue Winning Run Against New Zealand in World Cup Clash

When Australia and New Zealand play each other here on Saturday in the World Cup, an optimistic Australia will try to keep up their winning streak and build on their unbeaten record.

Australia recovered from a dismal start, which included losses to South Africa and the hosts India, to win three straight games. Their most recent victory, a record-thumping of the Netherlands by 309 runs, served as a message to their opponents.

The five-time winners are now fourth in the standings going into a pivotal stage of the competition, one place behind New Zealand after five games apiece. The Pat Cummins-led team would want to maintain the upward trend and solidify their place in the top four.

Despite the fact that New Zealand has been among the best sides in the league, Cummins and Co. are the favorites because of their unspectacular bilateral ODI and World Cup records versus Australia.

Australia has been the superior team in the Trans-Tasman rivalry historically, with eight victories and three losses in 11 World Cup matches played so far, and an overall record of 95 wins and 39 loses in 141 One-Day Internationals.

The match, which will take place at the gorgeous HPCA Stadium, will be greatly impacted by the fact that New Zealand's last ODI victory against Australia was in 2017. This fact also holds significant weight. The most important lesson for Australia was that they performed a flawless team effort, aside from easily defeating the Dutch.

Australia's World Cup record of 399 for 8 against the Netherlands is currently the third-highest total for any team, but if the batsmen hadn't wasted a great start against Pakistan, they may have set even another record.

Although David Warner (332 runs) has scored two tons in a row to put him among the top three run scorers in this World Cup, Australia will be looking for more consistency from middle-order players like Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, whose blistering fifties against the Netherlands have given fans optimism for a full recovery.

The all-rounder's confidence will soar after posting the fastest century in the history of the competition, thanks to Glenn Maxwell.

Josh Hazlewood (6 wickets) and skipper Cummins (6 wickets) will also try to straighten things out, as Mitchell Starc (7 wickets) has been a touch off with his lines in the last two games. In terms of bowling, Adam Zampa has also been Australia's go-to player.

However, New Zealand's winning streak was interrupted last Sunday when they were defeated by India four wickets at this location, yet they can still feel secure in their style of play.

Devon Conway (249 runs), who has been quiet since going 152 not out against England in the tournament opener, will be looked to by New Zealand for bigger performances.

Daryl Mitchell (268 runs) and Rachin Ravindra (290 runs) will have to split the workload in the middle order as Kane Williamson heals from a broken thumb.

Tom Latham, the wicketkeeper, will continue to guide the team in Williamson's absence, although he too will be worried about his form.

Latham anticipates "a fantastic game."

Despite Australia's dismal start to their campaign, the five-time champions are expected to be at their best when they play in the World Cup in Dharamsala on Saturday, according to vice captain of New Zealand Tom Latham.

The Australians have won three straight games, including their most recent thumping of the Netherlands, to take six points from five games.

Latham told reporters on Friday, "They're obviously playing some fantastic cricket at the moment."

"They may not have had the best start to the season, but their performance over the last three games is clearly indicative of the Australia that we are familiar with."

"They generally fight to the very end, and I suppose it's a challenge every time we play against one other. You can't take them lightly because they are a top-notch team and one of the greatest in the world.

New Zealand, third in the standings and runners-up in 2019, have only suffered a loss in the tournament against India, the hosts.

"I think we've shown throughout this tournament that we've seen plenty of teams that on their given day can beat anyone," Latham stated.

"Australia is not any different either. We therefore anticipate that they will play at their peak, and we aim to do well enough to make this a fantastic game."