Australia vs Pakistan Prediction: Pakistan have a new captain

Australia and Pakistan are going head to head in the Match 1 of One Day Series at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Richmond, Australia on 4th November 2024. Pakistan have a new captain leading them. Who will win this game of cricket?

Matt Short has confirmed that he is ready to lead Australia in the T20 Series against Pakistan, which will be a curtain-raiser for the Australian cricket season with a home ODI series against Pakistan. The team's top players such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne are likely to play in the early games of the summer. The batting lineup, with dynamic openers in the form of Short and Josh Inglis to provide aggressive starts and anchoring the middle overs through experienced batsmen like Labuschagne and Smith, seems solid. The depth further down adds a Glenn Maxwell and a Marcus Stoinis who can turn the game around when required. It will be led by Cummins and Starc in the bowling department. The absence of Hazlewood in the first ODI gives a decent opportunity for somebody to play an impactful role, like Adam Zampa. A good leg-spinner, he is going to get after Pakistani batsmen with his wicket-taking ability. Players to watch out in this series: Short, Zampa, and Labuschagne.

Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott

Pakistan comes into this series with a new captain, Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan has some experience behind the stumps and with the bat. He now has the responsibility of captaining the side. Pakistan would look forward to making a strong assertion against the reigning world champion with Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah returning to action and missing the Test series versus England. However, there would be a vulnerability in its top order with Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub lacking experience for these pitches, and how Babar Azam shapes up after his recent bout of form. However, this might be the series where Babar Azam finally gets going. Rizwan has been in good form and will look to carry on with that. The bowling lineup is strong with the pace of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, who are capable of picking up vital early wickets. Although Haris Rauf leaks runs, he is a good wicket-taker, especially in the last overs. The most key players for Pakistan are Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, and Abdullah Shafique.

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Aamir Jamal, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf/ Mohammad Hasnain

Australia, currently being the world champions will head into this game and series against Pakistan with some sort of confidence. It was almost a year ago that Pakistan played a 50-over game, when they last played in the World Cup against Australia. Who can forget that Australian victory? Marsh and Head were some of the absentees in the Australia squad, but there is still more than enough talent for them to go on and take this contest against what seems to be a very average Pakistan team. So, we think Australia is favourite to win this encounter.