The much-awaited ODI series between Australia and Pakistan will commence in the coming week. The first ODI will go on floors on November 4, Monday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from 9.00 AM IST onward. While Australia under Pat Cummins will look to overpower on home conditions, Pakistan are on a mission to revive competitiveness in white-ball format under a new captain.
The big three, including Pat Cummins, who remains the ODI captain even though he hasn’t played a game since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two out of the three matches. The three-match series begins at the MCG, with both teams building towards the Champions Trophy 2025.
AUS vs PAK : Previous Performances
Australia (AUS) take on the visiting side Pakistan (PAK) in the first ODI of the three-match series, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, on Monday, November 04.
The home team is coming into this series on the back of a confident white-ball tour of England, where they played five ODIs and three T20Is against the arch-rivals. Under Mitchell Marsh’s captaincy, the side first drew the T20I series 1-1 and followed it up with a resounding 3-2 ODI series win.
In the ODIs, the Aussies dominated the first two games and were on the way to clinch the series. But the Three Lions weren’t an easy obstacle to face. The Harry Brook-led side came back with an impressive performance, particularly their skipper who scored a match-winning century to help the side with their first win of the series.
The English followed it up with another comfortable win, once again courtesy of their skipper Brook’s firm knock which did the job for them. In the fifth and deciding match, England were on the forefront of making history with a never thought comeback and were on the right track to do so. But the rain gods had a different plan, resulting in a halt in a game. The game ended with Australia registering a fitting 49-run win via the DLS method.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is making a return to this format after a gap of one year, with their last outing being in the ODI World Cup in 2023. With many leadership changes and management adjustments, the side has come up with a team that will be led by Mohammad Rizwan. The side also sees the return of many players who were excluded from the recent Test series against England.
With the team coming into the fray in good spirits and high confidence, the team will be hoping to make a mark in this format after a gap. Additionally, Pakistan who is praying for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, is leaving no stone unturned for the global event.
AUS vs PAK : Head to Head Records
| Matches | 108 |
| Won by Australia | 70 |
| Won by Pakistan | 34 |
| No Result | 03 |
| Tied | 01 |
| First-ever Fixture | 7 June, 1975 |
| Most-recent Fixture | 20 October, 2023 |
AUS vs PAK : Pitch Report
MCG pitch will be good for seam bowling. Pacers will be effective with the new ball, but once the dust settles, batters can score runs in the middle overs. Spinners won’t get any help whatsoever as cloudy conditions will retain the moisture. The average first innings score is 220, with anything above 250 being a part score.
The track at MCG is known for giving both batters and bowlers a fair chance. Pacers will be effective with the new ball, while as the match progresses batters can score runs in the middle overs. The venue is also challenging due to its large boundaries, often making boundary scoring more difficult and requiring batters to rely on singles and doubles. With an average first-inning score of 221, the team will likely bat first at this historic ground.
The pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it’s still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it’s due to stay dry.
The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a true one. There is good bounce and movement off the pitch for seam bowlers with the new ball. However, once the pitch settles down, and batters have spent some time on the wicket, there will be plenty of runs on offer. Spinners won’t get much help and will have to look to bowl tight lines. The weather in Melbourne will be partly cloudy and very warm. There is no forecast of rain during the day.
The average score batting first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is 220. The highest total posted at the venue is Australia’s mammoth 355-5 versus England in 2022. They won that match by 221 runs. We reckon a score of around 250 will be par here.Batting second has yielded better results at the Melbourne Cricket Ground over the last ODIs. We reckon, both captains might be interested in fielding first here
AUS vs PAK : Big Picture : Pakistan’s year-long gap amid chaos
Australia’s top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.
For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow 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 victory in England in September.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are missing the series against Pakistan on paternity leave, and Cameron Green is injured. But otherwise, the main names will be on show – 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 hasn’t played a game since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two out of the three matches.
Despite the dwindling significance of bilateral ODIs, it still feels extraordinary that Pakistan have not played a game since their last outing of the World Cup nearly a year ago (so the form guide below is pretty irrelevant). Don’t for one minute, though, think that that means any 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’s 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 a side together that can compete in a home Champions Trophy.
White-ball coach Gary Kirsten is also gone 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 chance to come up against his home nation.
It may be something of a trail run, given no coach has been named for the Zimbabwe tour which follows, although it’s understood to be unlikely that Gillespie will be offered the role full-time – and whether he would want it is another question entirely. A few weeks ago, though, it appeared he may be the first coach out of the door, until Sajid Khan and Noman Ali got to work on England.
AUS vs PAK : Vital Stats that matters
- Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs. Maxwell’s strike rate of 126 is way higher than any of the 20 Australia batters to have scored at least 3500 runs in ODIs, with Warner’s 97 the next best.
- Babar needs one more century to equal Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan
- Pakistan have beaten Australia only twice in the last 13 ODIs between the two sides, with both those wins coming in a home series in 2022.
- Overall, Australia have a 10-4 win record against Pakistan at the MCG
- Adam Zampa has 288 wickets for Australia in international cricket. He needs two more wickets to surpass West Indian legend Andy Roberts (288) in international cricket.
- Glenn Maxwell has hit 151 ODI sixes overall. He needs five more to go past India’s Yuvraj Singh’s tally of 155 ODI sixes
- Marnus Labuschagne is one of the most consistent batters for Australia in the longer formats. He has 5872 runs for Australia in international cricket and needs another 128 runs to complete 6000 career runs.
- Pakistan’s new captain, Mohammad Rizwan, needs just 90 runs to complete 7500 career runs for Pakistan.
- Opener Abdullah Shafique has scored 1984 runs across formats for Pakistan and needs another 16 runs to complete 2000 runs in international cricket.
- Maxwell needs another 8 more sixes to become only the second Australian batter to hit 300 or more sixes in international cricket after David Warner.
AUS vs PAK : Team News for Australia and Pakistan
Australia : Australia to step in with fresh faces
With the Border Gavaskar Series on the horizon, Australia have rested a couple of senior players for this series. Pat Cummins will continue to lead the side, with Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk accounting for batting responsibilities. Sean Abbott, Josh Hazlewood, and Marcus Stoinis, meanwhile, will lead the pace attack. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh will miss out on this series due to paternity leave.
That being said, Australia are coming off a 5-game ODI series victory against England in away conditions and hence their confidence will be sky high. While Cummins has been missing from the 50-over format since the 2023 ODI World Cup victory, his finesse with the ball cannot be undermined. Overall, Australia are a well settled unit to take on an inexperienced Pakistan side and will start as favourites to win.
Cummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.
Australia Playing XI : Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk.), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Pakistan : Steep challenges await a new Pakistan
Pakistan’s squad has undergone massive changes, with Mohammad Rizwan taking over as captain. This will be his first assignment with a blend of experience and youth energy. While Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi have returned to the setup, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, and Faisal Akram have received a call-up based on their flair in domestic cricket.
Pakistan’s recent form white-ball formats is shambolic. However, they are coming off an inspiring Test series win against England at home which surely will boost their confidence. Their extensive pace attack will play a key role in Australian conditions, especially at the MCG where the ball will produce significant seam and swing movements.
Pakistan will also make a return to this format of the game after one year. The side also sees the appointment of Mohammad Rizwan as their new captain after star batter Babar Azam stepped down from the role. The Men in Green will field their experienced players, including Azam, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Salman Ali Agha. Interestingly, Kamran Ghulam who had a brilliant Test debut against England will also be in the XI and make his return after almost 23 months.
Irfan Khan will make his ODI debut in the middle order while Pakistan have included four frontline fast bowlers. Mohammad Rizwan was listed at No. 4
Pakistan Playing XI : Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk.), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain
Aus vs Pak Fantasy XI : Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk.), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk.), Kamran Ghulam, Adam Zampa, Naseem Shah, Pat Cummins
AUS vs PAK :In the spotlight : Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam
Want another bat-off.. Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk have a chance to stake a claim to be Travis Head’s partner at the Champions Trophy. Fraser-McGurk made his international debut in the two ODIs he played against West Indies earlier this year, where he cracked 41 off 23 balls across two innings.
He didn’t feature against England, but will now likely have all three games of this series to show his skills in the longer white-ball format. Fraser-McGurk has only played one game this season, a 50-over outing for South Australia, having been left out of the early Sheffield Shield rounds. But Pakistan have a strong pace attack, and could give his technique a working over.
It sent a jolt through Pakistan cricket when Babar was omitted after the opening Test against England, but his replacement Kamran Ghulam started in grand style with a century on debut in Multan. He has a single 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 complete, and he wasn’t required to bowl. So, in effect, a game against Australia would be the proper start.
AUS vs PAK : Match Prediction
On the basis of home condition advantage and overall squad balance, Australia are clear favourites to win this game and go 1-0 in the three-game series. Being the reigning world champions, Australia will feel confident heading into this match and series against a Pakistan team that haven’t played a 50-over game in nearly a year—the last one being at the World Cup where Australia came out on top.
Although they’re without key players like Marsh and Head, Australia still have the strength to come out on top against a Pakistan side that appears underwhelming in this matchup.