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Australia and Pakistan are set to lock horns in a one-off T20I on Tuesday, April 5. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the encounter.
Pakistan don’t have happy memories of playing T20Is against Australia recently. Babar Azam and Co. were going great guns in the T20 World Cup after winning all five of their matches in the Super 12 round.
They were also well on course to beat Australia in the semis. But Matthew Wade smashed fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi for three consecutive sixes in the penultimate over to take Australia home. Hasan Ali also attracted a lot of criticism for his erratic bowling and giving Wade a lifeline through a drop catch.
But Pakistan will be fairly high on confidence after beating Australia 2-1 in the three-match ODI series in Lahore. The hosts lost the opening game by 115 runs after Travis Head and Adam Zampa breathed fire. However, the home team came back to win the last two ODIs.
Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam scored heavily as Pakistan staged a comeback with their backs pushed to the walls. Shadab Khan missed the ODIs due to an injury, but is set to play the one-off T20I. The leg-spinner was Pakistan’s standout bowler in the T20 World Cup semis last year.
Australia, on the other hand, began their sojourn with a win in the third Test in Lahore. Thereafter, they took a 1-0 lead in the ODIs after winning the opening ODI. But since then, Aaron Finch and Co. have lost their rhythm and will be looking to end the tour on a positive note.
Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, in the meantime, have tested negative for COVID-19 and have also served their mandatory quarantine periods. They joined their team on Monday and may make a comeback in Tuesday’s game.
Travis Head looked in fluent touch in the ODIs and he’s most likely to play the game. There’s also a chance for Marnus Labuschagne to make his T20I debut. Labuschagne has quite a bit of T20 experience, having already played for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL.
Will Pakistan (PAK) beat Australia (AUS)?
The pitch in Lahore is expected to be a belter for batting and may not change character throughout the duration of the game. The chasing team may end up having a significant amount of advantage.
Prediction: The team batting second to win the match.
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