PAK vs AUS prediction: Who will win the 3rd Test?

Pakistan and Australia will lock horns in the third and final Test, starting Monday, March 21, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

After the first two Tests ended in draws, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been at the receiving end to producing surfaces not conducive for bowlers. Barring one innings in the second Test, bowlers from both teams have had to toil badly, struggling to pick up 20 wickets.

The visitors looked pretty good with the ball in the first innings of the Karachi Test, grabbing a 408-run lead. The pacers were at their best on the Karachi wicket that assisted them for a while. However, a masterclass from Pakistan captain Babar Azam and an unbeaten century from Mohammad Rizwan meant Australia had to settle for a draw.

Pakistan batted for a whopping 171.4 overs in the fourth innings, keeping the visitors on the field for the better part of the last two days of the Test. Nathan Lyon looked good with a four-wicket haul but failed to take his team home.

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Can Australia win the series in Lahore?

Going into the Lahore Test, both teams will look to bat first, considering the expected nature of the wicket. With Pakistan producing belters for batting of late, the trend could continue in Lahore.

Interestingly, Lahore hasn’t hosted a Test since 2009. So it could be tricky to predict the surface that could be on offer. Australia last played a Test in Lahore in 1994, which ended in a draw.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, during the pre-match press conference, feels that the wicket looks similar to the others in the series. However, with a few cracks potentially open in the latter stages of the game, spin would come into the picture.

Babar played safe and didn’t announce the XI. However, Pakistan are more likely to go with the same XI. However, with the wicket likely to offer turn, they might go with leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood instead of either Sajid Khan or Nauman Ali.

Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has said that the surface looks quite similar to the previous two wickets. So the visitors will go in with an unchanged playing XI, meaning Josh Hazlewood will stay out, and two spinners will feature in Lahore.

The visitors looked in control in the second Test, running through the hosts’ order once in the Karachi Test. Pakistan bowlers, though, struggled to take wickets. If a similar wicket is on offer, the team batting first could bag a win.

Prediction: Australia to win the Test and seal the series 1-0.