Islamabad (Big Digit) First ODI match: Pakistan cricket team’s tour of Australia will be a tough test.

(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
Pakistan team will play their first ODI match against Australia today in Melbourne
Pakistan and Australia have announced their teams for the first ODI match, in the Pakistan team, Muhammad Rizwan (Captain) Salman Ali Agha (Vice-Captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Saeem Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Hasnain while Pat Cummins (Captain), Jack Fraser McGurk, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Marence Lebouchen, Aaron Hardy, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa are in the Australian team.
Apart from Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, who last played an ODI match against New Zealand in January 2023, has returned in the Pakistani team.
It should be noted that the first one-day international between Pakistan and Australia will be played on November 4, the second one-day match on November 8 and the third one-day match on November 10.After the tour of Australia, the Pakistani team will go to Zimbabwe where 3 ODI matches are scheduled between the two teams from November 24 to 28, after which 3 T20 matches will be played from December 1 to December 5.Pakistan has played 56 ODI matches on Australian soil so far, in which they have won 17 matches while losing 37. Pakistan has won only two matches in the last 19 years.
Pakistan has won two series in Australia so far. In 1996, under the leadership of Wasim Akram, Pakistan won, while in 2002, under the captaincy of Waqar Younis, Pakistan won two out of three matches and won the series.
It has always been difficult for Pakistan team to tour Australia, but the fact is that Pakistan team is not strong for ODI series because Pakistani players have no experience of playing on Australian bouncy pitches compared to the past.
Batting on fast and bouncy wickets in Australia is difficult for the Pakistan team. Australia always takes advantage of its home ground. In the tour of Pakistan, fast pitches are always made, on which the Pakistan batting line often fails.
The last time Pakistan played an ODI series was in 2017 when Pakistan won in Melbourne under the leadership of Muhammad Hafeez. There are also many matches when Pakistani batsmen performed brilliantly and took the match very close to victory. In Australia, four victories came on the tail of the bowlers. Most of the victories of the Pakistan team are from the 90s.
The chances of winning for Pakistan in the current series are very slim but if Pakistan team wins even one match, it will be a big battle as Pakistan’s batting is struggling. The batting flaws against England were covered by the bowling but the weak opening has upset the balance of the team to a great extent. There is no batsman in the middle order who can handle one end. Will be.
Pakistan will host champions trophy next year in February, march and all these are part of team preparations but unfortunately Pakistan cricket board is in the hands of unprofessional due to which all the problems faced by Pakistan national team.
Due to these problems, before the Australian tour, the world famous cricket coach Gary Kirsten resigned from coaching the Pakistani team. Gary Kirsten was angry with the team selection. He wanted to see a few players in the team and also considered someone else better for the captaincy. He also objected to the attitude of the board officers.
The manner in which the hero of the Champions Trophy and the only batsman of Pakistan to score a double century in ODIs was stripped of the central contract is not appropriate. The chairman board said in the press conference that his tweets in favor of Babar Azam are also problematic but the fact is that in the past Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have given similar statements for the captaincy of Babar Azam but the punishment is only pride. While other players posted on social media are included in the Pakistan team, even Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi have been selected, Fakhar Zaman is an undisputed player who is known for his game. On the other hand, Australia has selected a strong team for ODI matches. Pat Cummins (captain), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jack Fraser McGurk, Aaron Hardy, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marence LeBouchen, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa It is a strong team.
According to reports, Mitchell Marsh and Drews Head are due to give birth in the next few weeks, making them unavailable for the squad, while all-rounder Cameron Green has been ruled out due to a back injury.
As the long series against India starts immediately after this series, Australia has fielded all junior players in the T20 team, giving Pakistan a golden chance to win the series in the T20 series.
Pakistan has selected a strong team for the T20I with the interesting inclusion of Haseeb Ullah Khan. Australian wickets are very suitable for Haseeb who hails from Balochistan. Looking at the teams, Pakistan has the chances of winning the T20 series, but the chances of the Pakistan team winning the ODI series are very low. It should be noted that in the tour of Australia, Pakistan will play 3 ODIs from November 4 to 10 and from November 14 to 18 and will compete against Australia in T20 international matches. After the tour of Australia, the national team will go to Zimbabwe where 3 ODI matches are scheduled between the two teams from November 24 to 28, after which 3 T20 matches will be played from December 1 to December 5.
Former captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were dropped after the defeat in the first Test match against England and now they have been included in the squad for the tour of Australia, but all three players have been rested for the tour of Zimbabwe. .
Apart from this, the potential white ball captain Muhammad Rizwan is a part of the team for the tour of Australia but he has been rested for the T20 matches against Zimbabwe. In between, 3 ODI matches are scheduled, after which 3 T20 matches will be played from December 1 to December 5. The national selectors have given a chance to the players who have performed in the domestic rotation policy, while Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan Niazi have been included in the squad for the first time for both the series. Similarly, Jehandad Khan and Salman Ali Agha have been included in the T20 for the first time, while Kamran Ghulam, Umeer Bin Yousaf and Sufyan Muqim have also been given a chance. Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, the man of the series with 17 wickets in the Champions ODI Cup, who last played an ODI against New Zealand in January 2023, has also returned to the team. Apart from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, 4 players have been included in both formats, including Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah and Mohammad Irfan Khan. Likewise, Aamir Jamal. , Abdullah Shafiq, Faisal Akram, Kamran Ghulam Mohammad Hasnain and Saeem Ayub have been selected for ODI only and these players have been replaced by Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Umar Bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Safian Muqim and Usman Khan in their place in T20. When the team was being announced for the tour of Australia, it was thought that after Babar Azam quit the captaincy, the expected captain Mohammad Rizwan will not accept the captaincy because Mohammad Rizwan was among those who advised Babar Azam to quit the captaincy, were in the forefront. Although Babar did not leave the captaincy, the board asked him to resign after the worst defeat in the T20 World Cup. In order to make the captaincy of the T20 team a problem, Babar wanted Rizwan not to accept the captaincy and in case of a junior becoming the captain. There will be chaos in the team, but Rizwan surprised Babar and accepted the captaincy. Under the leadership of Muhammad Rizwan, the team selected against Australia is very weak. His remaining five innings is a reflection of poor form. Other opener Saeem Ayub is constantly failing. Babar Azam is the only authentic batsman in the team. Although he is not in form, he is the hope of the team. Babar Azam has scored centuries in Australia. Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are somewhat experienced batsmen in the batting line. Pakistan will likely give Kamran Ghulam a chance to strengthen the batting but are sorely lacking a good all-rounder. Both Irfan Khan Niazi and Aamir Jamal are all-rounders. Aamir Jamal performed well in the previous tour of Australia, but this is the first tour for Irfan Khan. Apart from scoring a century in the Champions Cup, he has not played any big innings in the last one year. In the first match in Melbourne, Pakistan will rely on Amir Jamal while looking at the pitch Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain. Spinner Salman and Saeem will find it difficult to maintain their length on the Australian pitch because the ball bounces a lot there and there is no experienced spinner in the Pakistan team. The series will miss a good spinner, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram has not played international cricket yet, Pakistan will rely on Salman Ali Agha, Kamran Ghulam, and Saeem Ayub in spin bowling.
Analysis of Pakistan’s chances in the Australia tour:

Challenges for Pakistan:

1. Poor record in Australia (17 wins, 37 losses in 56 ODIs)
2. Inexperienced batting lineup struggling on fast and bouncy pitches
3. Weak opening batting
4. Lack of experienced spinners
5. Recent poor form of key players (Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan)

Key Players:

1. Babar Azam (only authentic batsman)
2. Mohammad Rizwan (experienced batsman)
3. Salman Ali Agha (experienced batsman)
4. Shaheen Shah Afridi (key bowler)
5. Naseem Shah (key bowler)
6. Haris Rauf (key bowler)
7. Mohammad Hasnain (returning fast bowler)

Pakistan’s Strengths:

1. Strong bowling lineup
2. Potential of young players (Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram)
3. Haseeb Ullah Khan’s suitability for Australian wickets

Australia’s Advantage:

1. Home ground advantage
2. Strong ODI squad (Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith)
3. Familiarity with Australian conditions

T20 Series:

1. Pakistan has a better chance due to Australia’s junior team
2. Haseeb Ullah Khan’s inclusion strengthens Pakistan’s batting

Predictions:

1. Australia likely to dominate (win by 5-7 wickets or 20-30 runs)
2. Pakistan’s batting struggles may continue
1. ODI series: Australia likely to dominate (3-0 or 2-1)
2. T20 series: Pakistan has a chance (2-1 or 1-1)
Live Streaming:

1. PTV Sports (Pakistan)
2. Fox Sports (Australia)
3. Sony Ten (India)
4. Sky Sports (UK)

Concerns:

1. Pakistan Cricket Board’s management issues
2. Gary Kirsten’s resignation as coach
3. Team selection controversies
4. Asghar Ali Mubarak