3 Players To Watch Out During Australia vs Pakistan ODI Series

Aashay Chopade

Babar Azam will be a player to watch out against AUS (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/X.com)Babar Azam will be a player to watch out against AUS (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/X.com)

Pakistan are all set to play their first ODI series after the 50-over World Cup last year and it will be first assignment for Mohammad Rizwan as their white-ball captain. The three-match series is expected to be a tough one for the Men In Green as Australia are a formidable unit, especially in their home conditions. Also, the Champions Trophy is not far away and both teams have some young inexperienced players in their squad, who would be looking to stamp their authority and make the opportunity count.

So, with plenty of exciting players in both the teams, let's see who will be the three players to watch out in the this three-match series.

Babar Azam

The charismatic batter from Pakistan is going through some tough times. He has not been at his best with the bat and was also dropped from the Test squad after the Multan Test loss. He also gave away his white-ball captaincy before the series, and would be looking to start afresh on this Australian tour. 

His best format undoubtedly, over the years, has been the 50-over one with an average of 56.72 in 117 matches. So, he has been a consistent run-scorer and would be itching to prove a point with some big scores after heavy criticism in recent times. He has dominated Australia in ODIs with an average of 67.33 and has three hundreds and two fifties against the Kangaroos. So, he is surely one of the player to watch out.

Jake Fraser-McGurk

Jake Fraser-McGurk is known for his power-hitting and though he has not exactly delivered to his billing on the international stage so far, he has all the potential to win matches single-handedly. He grabbed eyeballs of cricketing world with his brutal-hitting during the IPL 2024, and Australian selectors are pretty keen to back the talent despite his mediocre List A record.

Also, Jake Fraser-McGurk scored a quickfire fifty in his last ODI against England, so he would be high on confidence. He is also likely to get regular chances at the top of the order in this series and could well deliver his breakthrough performance on international stage against Pakistan.

Saim Ayub

The southpaw is another exciting young talent to watch out in this series. He is going to make his ODI debut in this series and would be looking to make an impression on pitches that are expected to be conducive for the strokemakers. He also did well recently in the Test series and with a List A average of over 42, expect him to deliver some big performances in this series.

This is also a golden opportunity for him ahead of the Champions Trophy. Fakhar Zaman is currently out of favour, so if Saim Ayub scores runs in this series, he could be a long-term option for Pakistan.