Match Details:
Series: Australia vs. Pakistan
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Date: November 21, 2019
Time: 5:30 a.m. IST
Match Preview:
Australia will face Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series, starting on Thursday at The Gabba in Brisbane. The home side will be coming in this match as strong favourites after outclassing the visitors in the recently concluded three-match T20I series where the Kangaroos emerged victorious with a 2-0 score line.
Weather Report:
The weather is expected to stay fine throughout the five days with little to no chance of rain.
Pitch Report:
Pitch at the Gabba is traditionally a great one for fast-bowling and it is expected to stay the same in this match as well, where fast-bowlers will get a lot of purchase from the track.
Probable Playing XI:
Australia:
In the batting department, Australia will be relying on the likes of in-form Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head to score bulk of the runs. After having a horrendous time with the bat in hand in the Ashes series, the focus will be on the performance of veteran opener David Warner as well. In the bowling department, the onus will be on the likes of pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to do bulk of the damage.
Predicted XI: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (C/WK), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc,
Match Details:
Series: Australia vs. Pakistan
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Date: November 21, 2019
Time: 5:30 a.m. IST
Match Preview:
Australia will face Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series, starting on Thursday at The Gabba in Brisbane. The home side will be coming in this match as strong favourites after outclassing the visitors in the recently concluded three-match T20I series where the Kangaroos emerged victorious with a 2-0 score line.
Weather Report:
The weather is expected to stay fine throughout the five days with little to no chance of rain.
Pitch Report:
Pitch at the Gabba is traditionally a great one for fast-bowling and it is expected to stay the same in this match as well, where fast-bowlers will get a lot of purchase from the track.
Probable Playing XI:
Australia:
In the batting department, Australia will be relying on the likes of in-form Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head to score bulk of the runs. After having a horrendous time with the bat in hand in the Ashes series, the focus will be on the performance of veteran opener David Warner as well. In the bowling department, the onus will be on the likes of pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to do bulk of the damage.
Predicted XI: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (C/WK), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon
Pakistan:
In the batting department, the Men in Green will relying on the likes of captain Azhar Ali, in-form Babar Azam, veteran middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq and left-handed opener Shan Masood to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and young Naseem Shah to produce timely breakthroughs.
Predicted XI: Imam Ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (C), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Yasir Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah
Top Picks:
Wicketkeeper: Tim Paine (8.5 Cr)
Tim Paine's spot in the Australian team is far from secure, despite retaining the Urn in the recently concluded Ashes series in England. The right-hander's form with the bat in hand has been pretty poor to say the least in the recent past as he has only managed to score just a single half-century in the last 20 innings in the five-day format.
All-rounder: Iftikhar Ahmed (8 Cr)
Iftikhar Ahmed is becoming a more than decent prospect for the Green Caps. The 29-year-old was one of the Men in Green's most in-form batsman in the recently concluded T20I series so the team management will be hoping to see a similar kind of performance from him in red-ball cricket as well.
Batsman: Steve Smith (11 Cr)
Steve Smith is being termed by many as the best batsman in red-ball cricket. The right-hander is coming on the back of an incredible time with the bat in hand during the recently concluded Ashes series against England where he scored three centuries and three fifties in just seven innings.
Bowler: Pat Cummins (9.5 Cr)
Pat Cummins has now become the spearhead of the Australia's bowling unit, at least in the red-ball cricket. The right-arm pacer had a really good Ashes series with the ball in hand where he claimed 29 wickets in 10 innings and was the most successful bowler for the Baggy Greens.
Captaincy options: Steve Smith, Babar Azam, Pat Cummins
Dream XI team:
