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PAK v AUS | 1st ODI | Match Preview, Predictions, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

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The caravan of Australia's historic tour of Pakistan rolls on. The Aaron Finch-led unit is set to lock horns with Babar Azam's men in a three-match ODI series, starting at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday (March 29).

Unlike the Test series, the build-up to the ODI leg of the Australian tour has been relatively sedate. The major reason behind it is the unavailability of the number of first-choice Australian players for various reasons.

While David Warner, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc have been rested, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis have been ruled out due to injuries and in the latter's case, Covid-19. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell is unavailable due to his wedding.

With Inglis and Warner not available, Ben McDermott is likely to partner skipper Finch at the top of the order while Marnus Labuschagne will slot in in place of Steven Smith.

With Mitch Marsh unavailable, Finch confirmed that all-rounder Cameron Green will feature in the starting XI on Monday. Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, and Nathan Ellis will likely spearhead the pace department, while Adam Zampa will lead the spin arena.

Since the last World Cup, Australia has been in a rich vein of form in this format. With series wins over England, India and the West Indies, they are well placed to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

That said, it won't be easy for them to continue with their winning streak considering that they are without a majority of their first-choice players and are up against a solid Pakistani outfit, which will be gunning for redemption following a Test series defeat.

Pakistan were whitewashed 3-nil by a severely depleted England side during their last assignment in the format last summer. And once again, their batting unit will revolve around the quartet of Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan.

Shadab Khan is coming off a sensational PSL, where he performed brilliantly with both bat and ball, but he won't be available for the first couple of ODIs due to a groin injury.

Uncapped spinner Asif Afridi and left-hander batsman Mohammad Harris will likely slot in the starting XI, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali will lead the pace arena.

Match Details

 

Date: 29th March 2022

Time: 03:30 PM IST

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Broadcast: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, SonyLiV app and website

Pitch Report:

The 22-yard strip at the Gaddafi Stadium has been a safe haven for batters, as was evident in the recent PSL. Dew could be an issue in the second half, urging both sides to win the toss and chase.

Squads:

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir


Australia

Aaron Finch (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa

Probable Playing XI:

Pakistan:

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Afridi, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Australia:

Aaron Finch (c), Ben Mcdermott, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (WK), Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis.

CE Fantasy XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Aaron Finch, Marnus Labuschagne, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Shaheen Afridi, Adam Zampa, Haris Rauf

Captain: Babar Azam

Vice-captain: Shaheen Afridi


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