Pakistan has announced its team for the first ODI match against Australia, featuring players like Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi. Australia’s playing eleven has also been confirmed. Babar Azam is close to matching Saeed Anwar’s record, but Pakistan will be playing its first ODI match after a year.
Pakistani Cricketers Practice at MCG
The Pakistani cricket team conducted their practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), focusing on fielding, bowling, and batting. Pakistani batters Abdullah Shafique, Saeem Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, and Irfan Khan Niazi worked on their batting skills during the session. Meanwhile, the fast bowlers took a rest today in preparation for the match. Pakistan is set to play their first ODI against Australia tomorrow in Melbourne.
Upcoming Clash: Australia vs. Pakistan ODI Match
Date: Tomorrow
Time: 8:30 AM (Local Time)
This marks the start of Australia’s home cricket season, which is a preparation for the upcoming home Test series against India or perhaps the Champions Trophy. After these three matches, Australia has only one ODI left in February against Sri Lanka.
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The schedule seems odd as Australia played its last ODI series in September in England, winning 2-3. Notably, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, and Cameron Green are not playing against Pakistan, yet Australia boasts a strong bowling attack.
What’s significant is that Pakistan has not played any ODI matches since the World Cup match in November last year. A year later, the situation for the team is that the then-captain Babar Azam has resigned twice, with his second resignation occurring without him having played any ODIs.
Another important point is that Pakistan’s white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten, has also left without having played an ODI match.
Kamran Ghulam made a remarkable debut in Multan with a century. He has only one ODI cap, which was earned last year as a concussion substitute against New Zealand when Haris Sohail was replaced after Pakistan’s batting innings was completed, and he didn’t need to bowl. Therefore, it will be a proper start against Australia.
Australia’s Team:
1. Matt Short
2. Jack Fraser-McGurk
3. Steven Smith
4. Marnus Labuschagne
5. Josh Inglis (Wicketkeeper)
6. Glenn Maxwell
7. Aaron Hardie
8. Sean Abbott
9. Pat Cummins (Captain)
10. Mitchell Starc
11. Adam Zampa
Pakistan’s Team:
1. Saeem Ayub
2. Abdullah Shafique
3. Babar Azam
4. Mohammad Rizwan (Captain)
5. Kamran Ghulam
6. Salman Ali Agha
7. Irfan Khan
8. Shaheen Shah Afridi
9. Naseem Shah
10. Haris Rauf
11. Mohammad Hasnain
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch for the recent Sheffield Shield match showcased considerable assistance for fast bowlers, indicating that it remains early in the season for cricket in Melbourne. Tomorrow’s forecast suggests a cool, overcast day, but it is expected to stay dry throughout the match.
Stats and Trivia
Glenn Maxwell is on the verge of a personal milestone, needing just 66 runs to reach 4,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs). His strike rate of 126 is significantly higher than any of the 20 Australian players who have scored at least 3,500 runs in ODIs, with David Warner’s 97 being the next closest.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam is just one century away from tying Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI centuries for Pakistan.
Also Read: India Suffers Historic Whitewash at Home as New Zealand Claims Mumbai Test
In the last 13 ODIs between Pakistan and Australia, the former has only managed to secure victory twice, both wins coming in a home series in 2022. Historically, Australia holds a strong 10-4 advantage over Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Quotes
Pat Cummins, reflecting on the start of the home summer, remarked,
“It’s an exciting opportunity to kick off the season. This is a chance for some of our younger players to showcase their skills as they embark on their international careers. Looking ahead, we have the Champions Trophy coming up, which always provides a good segue into that.”
On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan expressed a grounded approach, stating,
“We are not looking to prove anything; we will focus on playing our normal game. Our goal is to give our best performance against Australia, who are undoubtedly a formidable team in their home conditions. The only advantage they have is the support of the home crowd.”
Pakistan vs Australia ODI Series History: A Record of Tough Contests and Setbacks
Pakistan and Australia have shared a storied rivalry in ODI cricket, with intense matchups dating back to their first encounter. In the 108 ODIs played between the two teams, Pakistan has won 34 matches, lost 70, while one match ended in a tie and three with no result. When playing in Australia, Pakistan has struggled to maintain consistent success, winning 17 out of 56 games, with 37 losses. Pakistan’s overall record on Australian soil, however, is slightly better against teams other than Australia itself.
The ODI series history between these teams began in the 1982-83 season when Pakistan hosted Australia and emerged victorious with a 2-0 win. A single-match series held in Pakistan in 1988-89 also went in Pakistan’s favor. However, the 1998-99 home series was a setback for Pakistan as they were defeated 3-0. Notably, in June 2002, Pakistan triumphed in a three-match series in Australia, winning 2-1.
Australia continued to dominate in the following years. In 2009, they clinched a 3-2 series victory in the UAE, followed by a 5-0 sweep over Pakistan on their home turf in the 2009-10 season. Pakistan struggled again in 2012 and 2014-15, losing two UAE series by 1-2 and 0-3, respectively. Their last significant visit to Australia for a five-match series in 2016-17 also ended in a 4-1 defeat.
The most recent series between the two was held in Pakistan in 2021-22, where the hosts secured a 2-1 victory, bringing Pakistan’s total series wins against Australia to just three, compared to Australia’s seven. Apart from bilateral series, both teams have faced off in World Cups, the Benson & Hedges series, and other events, where Pakistan has mostly found itself on the losing end.
Pakistan played its first ODI in Australia on November 22, 1981, which they won. The team had mixed results over the next few years, including a notable win in the 1992 World Cup against Australia. Pakistan’s last win in Australia came on January 15, 2017, in Melbourne, where they won by six wickets. However, they went on to lose the next three matches, with the last game on January 22, 2017, ending in an 86-run defeat in Sydney.
Now, seven years later, Pakistan is set to return to Australia for another ODI series, aiming to rewrite history with a stronger performance and to improve upon its past record against the Australians on their home turf.
