ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Australia vs Bangladesh, 5 players to watch out for

Rain saved them the blushes against their neighbours New Zealand at Birmingham two days back, and now Australia have a chance to go to the top of their group when they take on Bangladesh on the same ground.

The South Africa-Sri Lanka clash at The Oval was devoid of rain and Australia will be relieved by that fact. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have started making inroads in world cricket and are ranked no.6, above Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan. They nearly gave England a run for their money in the tournament opener with their batting as well.

Bowling is still their weak point and against a power-packed Australian batting line-up, it needs to punch above its weight. The Australians, on the other hand, will look to unleash their fiery pace bowlers against Bangladesh in the hope that the extra zip and pace would prove to be too much for them.

Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Australia Probable playing 11 to face Bangladesh

Here are five players to watch out for from the clash at The Oval.

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#5 David Warner

The brilliant Australian opener missed out against the Kiwis the other night but he isn't one to stay silent for long. The Orange Cap winner of the 2017 IPL is in fine form and loves batting on pitches that have pace and bounce. He is someone who can wipe out the rhythm of any attack and Bangladesh would be wary of the diminutive batsman.

The southpaw has smashed 9 hundreds since the beginning of 2016 in the format, scoring at an average of 63.32. He has been instrumental in Australia's top order and in a rather dull period for his nation, Warner has been a ray of sunshine.

Record against Bangladesh

Interestingly, this will be Warner's first ODI against Bangladesh despite being active in the format for almost a decade.

#4 Tamim Iqbal

Tamim has barely put a foot wrong in the past few months

Australia and aggressive Bangladesh batsmen have a history. In 2005, Mohammad Ashraful's brilliant hundred led the Tigers to a stunning ODI win against the Aussies in a NatWest series in England. Tamim Iqbal is rather similar to Ashraful in terms of playing with a positive mindset.

His hundred against England in the Champions Trophy opener a few days back went in vain but Tamim found himself carrying on his rather good vein of form. Tamim now has five hundreds since the 2015 World Cup and is the most influential Bangladeshi batsman in the line-up.

Record against Australia

Matches - 7, Runs - 186, HS - 63, Avg - 26.57

#3 Pat Cummins

The sheer pace of Cummins could be decisive against a side like Bangladesh

Pat Cummins was taken to the cleaners in the game against New Zealand despite impressing in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. James Pattinson is waiting in the wings and one more poor show from Cummins may not go down well with the skipper or Darren Lehmann.

What favours the Australian quick is the fact that the Bangladesh batsmen haven't seen much of him. Bangladesh are not the best players of pace, making Cummins' role all the more important. In the middle period, the pacy quick bowler would be expected to break partnerships and contain the run flow, something he failed to do against the Kiwis.

Record against Bangladesh

Cummins is yet to play against the Bangladeshis which makes him a relatively unknown quantity.

#2 Shakib-al-Hasan

Shakib-al-Hasan's all-round skills will come in handy against a strong Aussie line-up

The Bangladeshi all-rounder has been off colour in the past few months but if there is a right time to return to form it is against Australia at The Oval. His nation is on the verge of being knocked out of the tournament and the time is ripe for Shakib to stand up and deliver.

The Oval pitch showed signs of stopping a bit in the game between South Africa and Sri Lanka which could bring the Bangladesh spinners into play. Shakib will be itching to have a go against an Australian top order that has four right-handed batsmen. His batting will also be vital for Bangladesh.

Record against Australia

Matches - 7, Runs - 147, Batting Avg - 21.0, Wickets - 5, Bowling Avg - 48.0

#1 Mitchell Starc

Starc might just be too hot for Bangladesh to handle

The premier pace bowler and the leader of the Aussie pace attack was a bit rusty against the Kiwis in Australia's tournament opener. He was overshadowed by the meticulous Josh Hazlewood but would be an important cog in Australia's bowling attack in the games to come.

With the overcast conditions, Starc should be the biggest threat to Bangladesh. His ability to bring the ball back into the right-handers and generate skiddy bounce will be vital at The Oval.

Record against Bangladesh

Starc is yet to play an ODI against Bangladesh which further compounds the woes for the sub-continent side.