Pakistan host second-string Australia in 1st ODI: Preview and stats
What's the story
Pakistan and Australia are set to clash in the first ODI of their three-match series on Saturday. The match will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with a start time of 5:00pm (IST). This series marks the beginning of a long road to the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup for both teams. Here is the match preview.
Match schedule
A long road to the 2027 World Cup begins
Australia have 15 ODIs lined up for the rest of this year, six of which will be played in Pakistan and Bangladesh over the next fortnight. These matches are crucial for testing combinations, even if subcontinental conditions won't be much help to southern Africa. Meanwhile, Pakistan are coming off a disappointing series loss in Bangladesh and have made several changes ahead of this series.
Team updates
Rizwan dropped; Babar, Shadab return
Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan are back in the squad after missing out on the last series. The latter hasn't played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup. New entrants include uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, and pacer Ahmed Daniyal. However, Mohammad Rizwan has been dropped from the team despite leading Pakistan to an ODI series win in Australia over 18 months ago.
Player absences
Australia missing several 1st-choice players
As mentioned, Australia's squad is missing several first-choice players due to IPL commitments, workload management, and injuries. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are missing the entire subcontinent tour for workload reasons. Travis Head, Xavier Bartlett, and Ben Dwarshuis were left out of the Pakistan leg because of their IPL involvement. However, Cooper Connolly will replace Marsh after initially being omitted from the Pakistan series due to Punjab Kings's anticipated IPL playoff tilt.
Leadership role
Josh Inglis to lead Australia
With Cummins, Marsh, and Head missing from the squad, Josh Inglis will captain the team. He had previously led Australia when these players were absent during an ODI against Pakistan in Perth in 2024. Other experienced players in the squad include Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis.
Details
Pitch report and other details
The pitch at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is expected to favor set batters, with the team winning the toss likely to opt for bowling first. Spinners may not find much assistance under lights but could get some help during the first innings. Dew can also play a part in the latter half of the game.
H2H
Here's the head-to-head record
The two sides have locked horns 111 times in ODI cricket, and the Men in Yellow have dominated most fixtures. The head-to-head record reads 71-36 in Australia's favor, as per ESPNcrcinfo. While one of their matches ended in a tie, three clashes got washed out. At home, the Men in Green have recorded six wins and seven defeats against the Aussies.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
Pakistan (Probable XI): Maaz Sadaqat, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Ghazi Ghori (wk), Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed. Australia (Probable XI): Cooper Connolly, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (c), Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Matthew Short, Riley Meredith, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Tanveer Sangha.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Babar Azam averages a fine 62.31 in home ODIs, having tallied over 1,800 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi has also enjoyed operating on Pakistan soil, having claimed 35 wickets at 29.54. Josh Inglis's 766 runs in the ODI format have come at an average of 106.38. Adam Zampa has been impressive against Pakistan in ODIs, claiming three four-wicket hauls across 14 games.
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