LAHORE: Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final One-Day International of the three-match series against Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.
The match has turned into a series decider, with the teams level at 1-1. Pakistan secured a five-wicket victory in the opening ODI, while Australia bounced back with a 41-run win in the second match to square the series.
The winner of Thursday’s encounter will clinch the three-match ODI series.
Playing XIs
Australia made one change to their playing XI, with Cooper Connolly replacing Tanveer Sangha, while the Men in Green remain unchanged.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed.
Australia: Matt Short, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (c/wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Ollie Peake, Nathan Ellis, Cooper Connolly, Adam Zampa and Matt Kuhnemann.
Head-to-head
Pakistan and Australia have faced each other 113 times in ODI cricket, with the six-time world champions dominating the rivalry with 72 wins, while Pakistan have secured 37 victories. Three matches have ended with no result and one has been tied.
The last ODI series between the two former champions was played in November 2024, which Pakistan won 2-1. It marked Pakistan’s first-ever ODI series triumph over the Baggy Greens in Australia.
Matches: 113
Australia: 72
Pakistan: 37
No Result: 3
Tie: 1
Form Guide
Both sides will go head-to-head with the aim of securing the series victory, as the contest remains evenly poised with one win apiece for Australia and Pakistan.
Pakistan will be targeting a third consecutive series win over Australia, having first secured a 2-1 triumph at home in 2022 before repeating the same scoreline in 2025 on Australian soil.
Meanwhile, Australia will be eager to end Pakistan’s winning streak, with their young squad looking to seal the series and claim the decisive victory in the final encounter.
Pakistan: L, W, L, W, L (most recent first)
Australia: W, L, L, W, W
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