Australia’s top-flight Test combat is front and centre. But before India arrives for the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour of Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and begins in Melbourne on Monday.
For the hosts, this marks the bulk of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, followed by just a one-off match in Sri Lanka in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 win in England in September.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head miss the series against Pakistan on paternity leave and Cameron Green is injured. But otherwise, the top names will be on display, at least for parts of the series, as the fast bowlers, in particular, continue to be managed ahead of the Tests. The big three, including Pat Cummins, who remains the ODI captain even though he has not played a match since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two of the three matches.
Despite the diminishing importance of bilateral ODIs, it is still extraordinary that Pakistan have not played a match since their last appearance in the World Cup almost a year ago (so the form guide below is quite irrelevant) . However, don’t think for a minute that that means a lack of drama. Despite not facing a ball in ODIs during this time, Babar Azam resigned as captain, returned and then resigned again.
Having been dropped during the Test series against England, he is back for this tour, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, while Mohammad Rizwan has been handed the captaincy, at least for this week, as they try to put together a team that can compete in a Champions Trophy at home.
White-ball coach Gary Kirsten also left without having had an ODI during his brief tenure. Jason Gillespie has been handed the job on an interim basis for this tour, creating an unexpected opportunity to take on his home country. It may be something of a tour given that no coach has been named for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, although it is understood that Gillespie is unlikely to be offered the job full-time, and whether he would want it is another question. completely different. However, a few weeks ago it looked like he could be the first coach out, until Sajid Khan and Noman Ali went to work in England.
forms guide
(Last five matches completed, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLL
In the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam
Do you want another fight? Matt short and Jake Fraser-McGurk will have the opportunity to claim to be Travis Head’s partner in the Champions Trophy. Fraser-McGurk made his international debut in the two ODIs he played against the West Indies earlier this year, where he scored 41 off 23 balls in two innings. He didn’t feature against England but will now likely get all three matches of this series to showcase his skills in the longer white-ball format. Fraser-McGurk has only played one match this season, an over-50s outing for South Australia, having crashed out of the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield. But Pakistan have a strong pace attack and could improve their technique.
There was a shake-up in Pakistan cricket when Babar was dropped after the opening Test against England, but his replacement Kamran Ghulam It began in grand style, a century after its debut in Multan. He has just one ODI cap to his name, but that came as a concussion substitute against New Zealand last year when he replaced Haris Sohail after Pakistan’s batting innings was completed, and was not required to play the bowling. So, indeed, a match against Australia would be the right start.
Team news: Hardie included
Cummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are unavailable for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England and may have earned a chance slightly up the order.
Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (week), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (captain), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa
Given the long absence from the format, changes in coach and captain, and some new faces, it is difficult to pinpoint what Pakistan’s XI will look like. A squad was expected to be confirmed later on Sunday, although Faisal Akram, a 21-year-old left-arm wrist spinner, is an interesting prospect.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Kamran Ghulam, 5 Salman Agha, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (captain, week), 7 Aamer Jamal, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Faisal Akram
Field and conditions
The field for last month’s Sheffield Shield match had considerable help for the rapids, and it’s still relatively early in the season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and cloudy day, but it will remain dry.
Statistics and curiosities
- Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs. Maxwell’s strike rate of 126 is much higher than any of the 20 Australian batsmen who have scored at least 3,500 runs in ODIs, with Warner’s 97 being the next best.
- Pakistan have beaten Australia just twice in the last 13 ODIs between the two sides, with both wins coming in a home series in 2022.
Quotes
“It’s a great way to start the summer. Some of the youngsters, seeing what they’re made of, are starting their international careers. And then in the long-term context, we’ve got the Champions Trophy coming up, which we always He has a good relationship with that.”
Pat Cummins before the start of summer at home
