Queensland vs Western Australia, MOC, Today Match Prediction 24 September 2023

QSL vs WAC Match Prediction & Analysis

Australia’s domestic 50-over competition is back for its 54th season. Queensland will host reigning champions Western Australia at Allan Border Field on Sunday to kick off the latest edition of the competition. Six teams will take part in the competition, and each one will play seven matches across the Marsh Cup season. The teams that finish first and second on the points table after all preliminary matches are completed will advance to the final on February 25.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

QSL

W L W

QSL

205/10 in 75.2 2.72

SSD

Queensland beat Victoria by 10 runs

10 Nov 2022

VAC

0/0 in 0.0 0

WAC

115/10 in 45.0 2.56

SSD

Western Australia beat Queensland by 3 wickets

31 Oct 2022

QSL

196/7 in 74.1 2.64

QSL

458/10 in 153.4 2.98

SSD

Queensland beat Tasmania by 172 runs

06 Oct 2022

TSC

0/0 in 0.0 0

WAC

W W

WAC

115/10 in 45.0 2.56

SSD

Western Australia beat Queensland by 3 wickets

31 Oct 2022

QSL

196/7 in 74.1 2.64

WAC

258/10 in 105.0 2.46

SSD

Western Australia beat New South Wales by 8 wickets

03 Oct 2022

NSW

85/2 in 24.5 3.42

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Queensland Preview

Last year, Queensland finished fourth on the table with just three wins from their seven matches. It was a decent performance, but Queensland know they can do better. They have won the title 10 times—the third most by any team in the tournament’s history—and will be eager to add another one to their kitty.

Key players

After eight years in Tasmania, Ben McDermott is back in his hometown of Queensland. The solid wicket-keeper batter has played five ODIs for Australia so far and averages 44.60 in them. He has collected almost 1700 runs from 41 List A matches at an average of 43.53. A memorable season here could well see him pushing for national selection again.

Matt Renshaw played just four matches for Queensland last year and yet ended up scoring 194 runs in them at an average of 64.66. He has by now established himself as a reliable top-order batter, and the team will definitely be counting on him to get some big runs this year.

Michael Neser was Queensland’s leading wicket-taker last season, taking 11 wickets in just 4 innings at an average of 15.09. The all-rounder has been in good form with the bat too, having blasted an unbeaten 176 against Leicestershire in the County Championship in July this year.

Gurinder Sandhu is another one worth watching out for. Last season, the right-arm fast bowler grabbed 8 wickets in 5 innings at an average of 25.37.

Queensland Predicted Playing XI:

Usman Khawaja (c), Matt Renshaw, Ben McDermott, Joe Burns, Max Bryant, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Liam Guthrie

Queensland Actual Playing XI:

Matt Renshaw, Max Bryant, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mark Steketee, Gurinder Sandhu, Jimmy Peirson, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Sam Heazlett, Kane Richardson

Western Australia Preview

Western Australia secured their second consecutive Marsh Cup championship with an impressive win over a resurgent South Australia at the WACA Ground in March this year. Despite being without the services of Mitch Marsh, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Aaron Hardie in the initial phase of the season due to Australia's tour of India and the ODI World Cup, their squad remains well-stocked with talent, making them a formidable force this season.

Key players

Josh Philippe was outstanding last season for Western Australia, amassing 438 runs in 8 innings at an average of 62.57 and a strike rate of 107. The wicket-keeper batter will definitely start as the most valuable player for the team in the absence of several key stars.

Cameron Bancroft’s performance in the middle order was another big contributing factor to Western Australia’s title win last year. He smashed three fifties in 7 innings at an average of 65.40. 

D'Arcy Short, who scored nearly 300 runs at an average of 42.71 last season, is another one to look out for. He may not look like a dangerous threat, but has the ability to score consistent runs.

Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff were the two main wreckers-in-chief for Western Australia in the previous edition, bagging 14 and 12 wickets, respectively. We expect the two fast bowlers to make an impact this year too.

Western Australia Predicted Playing XI:

Josh Philippe (wk), D'Arcy Short, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Turner (c), Hilton Cartwright, Aaron Hardie, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris, Joel Paris

Western Australia Actual Playing XI:

Ashton Turner, Cameron Bancroft, Josh Philippe, Sam Whiteman, Andrew Tye, Cameron Gannon, Charlie Stobo, Lance Morris, Cooper Connolly, D'Arcy Short, Nick Hobson

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Allan Border Field is generally batting-friendly. It offers good pace and bounce, which allows batters to play their strokes freely. The bounce will also help the fast bowlers, particularly when the ball is new. As the day goes on, however, the pitch evens out and becomes better for batting.

The weather in Brisbane during the match will be mostly cloudy.

QSL vs WAC Pitch Report

The average first innings score at Allan Border Field over the last five games is just 222. However, this being the first match of the season to be played here, the wicket should be hard and full of runs. The team batting first should look to set a target of around 270–280 runs.

Toss: To Bowl

This is a venue that tends to favor the team chasing. In the previous season of the Marsh Cup, four matches were played at Allan Border Field; three of those were won by the chasing side. Thus, the toss winning team is likely to field first in this match.