Pakistan and Australia will clash in the third One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The visiting Australians are in complete control of the series after managing to win both of the first two ODIs by eight wickets margin, therefore, now they just need one win in next three matches to claim another series win in the 50-over format. Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will be hosting its 45th ODI on Wednesday. Highest team score of 313-9 was registered by Pakistan in the match against Sri Lanka in 2007, whereas lowest score of 63 was registered by Afghanistan in the match against Scotland in 2015. Highest individual score of 137 in a 50-over contest at the venue was registered by England's Alastair Cook in 2012 in the match against Green Caps.
In the batting department, Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of in-form captain Aaron Finch, his opening partner Usman Khawaja and veteran left-hander Shaun Marsh to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be once again on the likes of spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Pakistan are clearly under pressure after two below-par performances and stand-in captain Shoaib Malik along with coach Mickey Arthur are clearly feeling the heat to turn things around. In the batting department, the Men in Green will be depending on the likes of captain Malik, in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan and Australia will clash in the third One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The visiting Australians are in complete control of the series after managing to win both of the first two ODIs by eight wickets margin, therefore, now they just need one win in next three matches to claim another series win in the 50-over format. Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will be hosting its 45th ODI on Wednesday. Highest team score of 313-9 was registered by Pakistan in the match against Sri Lanka in 2007, whereas lowest score of 63 was registered by Afghanistan in the match against Scotland in 2015. Highest individual score of 137 in a 50-over contest at the venue was registered by England's Alastair Cook in 2012 in the match against Green Caps.
In the batting department, Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of in-form captain Aaron Finch, his opening partner Usman Khawaja and veteran left-hander Shaun Marsh to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be once again on the likes of spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Pakistan are clearly under pressure after two below-par performances and stand-in captain Shoaib Malik along with coach Mickey Arthur are clearly feeling the heat to turn things around. In the batting department, the Men in Green will be depending on the likes of captain Malik, in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and left-hander Haris Sohail to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the team looked clueless in the first two ODIs and the team management will be looking for a miraculous turn around with the inclusion of left-arm pacers Usman Khan Shinwari and Mohammad Amir.
Key Players:
Aaron Finch – 9.5 Cr
First in the list of key players features Australia's Aaron Finch. The right-hander is in the form of his life and has already scored back-to-back centuries in the first two ODIs where he by far looked the best player with the bat in hand. Therefore, Finch, who is valued at 9.5 Cr, is definitely the player to have in your team.
Umar Akmal – 8.5 Cr
Second in the list of key players features Pakistan's Umar Akmal. The right-hander made a comeback in the national side after a gap of two years following an impressive show in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, in the first two ODIs, Akmal has failed to leave much of an impact after lackluster performances. With the 2019 World Cup spot at stake, Akmal might have three more chances to show why he is an ideal candidate to be on the plane for the mega event, and therefore, he might come up with a really good show in the match on Wednesday.
Adam Zampa – 9 Cr
Last in the list of key players features Australia's Adam Zampa. The right-arm leggie is having a quite series, but even then he was extremely hard to get away in the first two ODIs. With the match to be played at the venue which have far bigger boundaries, having Zampa, who is valued at 9 Cr, might not prove to be a bad call.
Captain: Aaron Finch
Vice-captain: Usman Khawaja
Predicted XI:
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Umar Akmal, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Hasnain
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch (captain), Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
