Mumbai: When Australia skipper Pat Cummins and his boys take the field on Tuesday at the famed Wankhede Stadium, only one thing will be on their mind - to seal their spot for the semi-final of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.
Australia lock horns with Hashmat Shahidi-led Afghanistan, who have been a team to watch out for in this edition of the marquee tournament, in a league stage fixture.
The team from Down Under started their campaign on a disastrous note, after losses to India in Chennai and South Africa in Lucknow, but since then the five-time World Champions have not looked back.
The Pat Cummins-led side have won five games on the trot, including a high-scoring one against New Zealand at Dharamshala, and would be the clear favourites against Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The return of all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who had gone home due to personal reasons, would also have boosted the Australian squad, which is in rollicking form.
Australian opener David Warner has been playing the way he usually plays - in an aggressive manner and he would be hoping to give his side another strong start with Travis Head.
Warner has 428 runs and he would be keen not only add runs to his kitty but smash some more records.
The return of all-rounder Mitchell Marsh means that he would in all probability bat one down. He along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschange make a formidable middle order and if the Australian top and middle order fires in unison on a belter at the Wankhede, it would be a day to forget for the varied Afghanistan attack.
Add to it the firepower and the six-hitting prowess of all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, the team from Down Under can post or chase any total. Another positive aspect for Australia would be the havoc wreaked by spinner Adam Zampa and on a track, where the bounce can remain low, Zampa would be a vital cog in the wheel.
Cummins and his co-pacers Josh Hazlewood and the every reliable Mitchell Starc will need to pose tough questions to the Afghanistan batters, who have shown the ability to take any good attack to the task. In all likelihood all-rounder Cameron Green would make way for Mitchell Marsh.
However, Australia, which is currently placed third with 10 points, cannot afford to take Afghanistan lightly, as they trounced defending champions England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.
Afghanistan has improved by leaps and bounds and their world-class spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman can make the Aussies batters dance to their tunes. Mohammed Nabi would also be keen to play his part to perfection.
All Afghanistan batters are in form and have scored runs at a crucial juncture in their games, but a sterner test awaits them as they will face Adam Zampa, who is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament so far with 19 scalps.
They would be up against a lethal Aussie attack, who are one of the best in the business.
The win against the Netherlands had raised Afghanistan and on Tuesday if they are able to beat Australia, that would be the biggest win in their ODI history.
Mumbaikars could see an intriguing contest and whether Afghanistan can spoil Australia's party and inch closer to a semi-final berth can only be known on Tuesday.
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