Pakistan Vs Australia, 1st Test Match Prediction

Preview

Australia are finally here for their first Pakistan Vs Australia Test in Pakistan since 1998. The tour continues to be a ground breaker with big teams finally looking to visit Pakistan, bringing life to a nation that has some of the most passionate Cricket fans. Last year it was South Africa and this year it is Australia. The Test series is a very crucial one for many reasons. For Australia, this is their first away tour since the 2019 Ashes, and they will have some challenges picking a balanced line-up.

For Pakistan, this is the best bowling attack they are likely to face at home in recent times. They are a growing team with a lot of talent and reserves, and this Pakistan Vs Australia Test at home is going to be a defining one for them. From the WTC point of view, this series could well determine who makes the finals. Australia has a string of subcontinent tours ahead. With Pakistan being the best nation in the subcontinent for pace bowlers, this is their best chance to get some points and a strong showing here could put them in the finals.

The same goes for Pakistan too. This is probably the biggest clash in their cycle and winning this series may seal their spot in the finals as well.

Match Details:

Match: Pakistan Vs Australia

Date: 4^th March 2022

Time: 10:30 AM IST

Venue: Rawalpindi

Weather Report

The weather forecast shows decent to high temperatures for the Pakistan Vs Australia Test. The heat will be high through the day but there is rain predicted on days one and five.

Pitch Report

The surface at Rawalpindi is known to help pacers and offer a lot of swing and bounce. The ball will spin later on, but seamers will come in with a massive advantage in the Pakistan Vs Australia Test.

Pakistan Vs Australia Predicted Playing XI

Pakistan Playing XI

Pakistan (probable): 1 Iman-Ul-Haq, 2 Shan Masood 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Babar Azam (c), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Sajid Khan

Australia Playing XI

Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steve Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Alex Carey (wk) 7 Cameron Green/ Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins (c), 9 Nathon Lyon, 10 Mitchell Swepson, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Team News

Australia will have some work to do with their bowling combination as they think about which pacers to include and how many spinners to play.

Pakistan are without Haris Rauf, who has tested Covid positive. In his place Naseem Shah has been added to the squad.

Key Players

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi is in the middle of a dream period winning the PSL and doing well in the T20 World Cup. He is one of the most exciting fast bowlers to watch at the moment and his opening spell is going to determine how the series goes.

Steve Smith

If there is one Australian Cricketer who can fight it out in the subcontinent even on the trickiest of pitches it will be Steve Smith. His unorthodox batting and shuffle technique is going to be interesting to watch as is his battle against Shaheen Shah Afridi. On previous subcontinent tours Steve Smith was a monster. With Labuschagne supporting him, Steve Smith is going to be one to watch out for, and is likely to do the bulk of the scoring for Australia.

Pakistan Vs Australia Match Tips

While Pakistan is playing at home, the Australian team is pretty talented and the Rawalpindi surface does help pacers. However, Pakistan still has a slight edge over Australia, unless the likes of Steve Smith produce something special.

Match Prediction: Pakistan will win the match.