Saim Ayub To Debut; Haris Rauf Or Hasnain? Pakistan's Strongest XI For 1st ODI vs Australia
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Saim Ayub is likely to make his ODI debut (Source:@ICC/X.com)
The Pakistan selection committee has finally announced the squad for the all-important white-ball tour of Australia. There are plenty of new names in the squad with likes of Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram given a chance to showcase their talent on the big stage. Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi are also back, but Fakhar Zaman has been dropped.
So, there are plenty of changes in the squad and this is just the first ODI series for Pakistan after World Cup 2023. The Champions Trophy 2025 is not far away, so they would be looking to build a solid combination and get some wins under their belt against the reigning ODI champions.
There is no confirmation of who will lead Pakistan in the ODI series, but Mohammad Rizwan is the front-runner and the official announcement would be done in the press conference by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. With no Fakhar Zaman in the squad, young Saim Ayub is all set to make his debut in the ODI format. He has already played for Pakistan in T20Is and Tests and would be looking to impress on the Australian shores now. Babar Azam will bat at number 3 and would be looking to make a statement in the format where he averages 56.72.
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Baba Azam To Take Number 3 Position; All-Rounder Trio To Play A Big Role
At number 4 will be Kamran Ghulam, who recently made headlines with a century in his debut Test after replacing Babar Azam. Captain Rizwan will follow him while he would be followed by all-rounders - Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas and Aamir Jamal. Agha and Minhas provide spin options with their batting while Aamir Jamal is a seam-bowling all-rounder. The trio provide the depth in the XI and they would be followed by three front-line pacers.
Mohammad Hasnain is back in the mix after missing a lot of cricket. However, with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf in the squad, they are likely to get a go in the first ODI. Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi have faced some criticism in recent times, due to their indifferent form, but they have the experience of doing well in Australia, and expect team management to back them. Overall, Pakistan look a well-balanced unit and would be itching to make an impression at MCG on November 4 in the series opener.
Pakistan's Strongest XI For 1st ODI vs AUS
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
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