Nov 03, V7N- In the first ODI of a three-match series between Australia and Pakistan at Melbourne, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl on an overcast day. With regular openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, Australia fielded a new opening pair of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short. The Australian lineup also saw Sean Abbott joining Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the pace attack, while veteran pacer Josh Hazlewood was rested.

This game marks Pakistan’s first ODI since the 2023 World Cup, with Mohammad Rizwan stepping in as captain following Babar Azam's recent resignation. Rising talent Irfan Khan makes his ODI debut, and Pakistan’s strong pace unit is led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie is coaching Pakistan for this series, temporarily filling in following Gary Kirsten’s resignation as white-ball coach last week.

Teams:

  • Australia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
  • Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.

Officials:

  • Umpires: Chris Brown (NZL), Sam Nogajski (AUS)
  • TV Umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)
  • Match Referee: Dave Gilbert (AUS)

With both teams featuring a mix of new and seasoned players, the match is set to be an exciting start to the series.

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