Pakistan vs Australia, 3rd ODI, Preview: Hosts look to retaliate while visitors eye the series

Jhye Richardson is ruled out of the series and won't be a part of the 3rd ODI.

Published - 26 Mar 2019, 13:38 IST | Updated - 26 Mar 2019, 13:38 IST

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The Aussies have managed to dominate in the Sharjah leg of the ODI series against Pakistan. Skipper Aaron Finch led Australia from the front with back-to-back centuries and has looked extremely good. Moreover, Usman Khawaja is in form and Shaun Marsh has just about gained his confidence back. The middle-order and the finishers are also faring extremely well in the last month or so.

With the bowling attack doing a splendid job, as usual, the Kangaroos look to be a different side all of a sudden. They have breached the fortress of Pakistan and will also look to bag the ODI series as they head into the third ODI. Pakistan’s batting hasn’t been impressive in this series. Only one or two batsmen clicked in both the games thus far and they even failed to finish well.

The bowlers also haven’t lived up to the expectations leading to these disappointing losses. While Australia are going from strength to strength, Pakistan has got a lot of aspects to work upon. They will look to address these issues and make a comeback in the series when they play the 3rd One Day International in Abu Dhabi.

Team Combinations

Pakistan

Pakistan will continue to open the innings with Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood. The idea for them has been to give all the batsmen a good go out there in the middle. Shoaib Malik might bat one spot higher in the order and leave the finishing responsibilities to Umar Akmal and Imad Wasim. The left-hander should surely bat higher that Faheem Ashraf as he can change the phase of the game within no time. The bowlers have been really disappointing thus far and Pakistan could bring in both Usman Shinwari and Junaid Khan into the eleven.

Predicted XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari, Junaid Khan.

Australia

Ideally, Australia would have liked to keep the winning combination going. But a dislocated shoulder has ruled Jhye Richardson out of the series. Thus, Pat Cummins will be the bowler who is highly likely to replace him. Aaron Finch was brilliant with the ball in the last game and never bowled any better at the international level. This should be a huge boost for the team going ahead. The players warming the bench might have to wait for a little longer to get their opportunities.

Predicted XI: Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch (C), Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa.

Focus will be on

Umar Akmal (Pakistan)

Making a comeback into the Pakitan team after a while, Umar Akmal was impressive in the first ODI with a quickfire 48 off 50 balls. He has shown signs of good form and has been hitting the ball well. However, he missed out in the previous game and will be eager to make a mark in the 3rd ODI. These remaining three games are essential for him as it could potentially decide if he’d be picked up in the World Cup squad.

Aaron Finch (Australia)

Just until a few days ago, there were demands from all over the world asking Aaron Finch to be dropped from the Australian team. Even in India, he showed signs of good form but failed to maintain consistency. But here in the UAE, he is having a dream outing. He scored centuries in both the games and announced his arrival just ahead of the quadrennial tournament. Finch will like to make it a hattrick of centuries going into this game.