Pakistan will look to overturn a poor run of results on their tour of Australia when the two sides meet in the first of five ODIs at the Gabba in Brisbane. Follow the live scores & blog of this first ODI on Friday from 2:20pm AEDT.
Ranked eighth in the ICC ODI Rankings, Pakistan could have their mind on direct World Cup qualification when they take on Australia in this opening game of the competition.
According to the latest ICC rules for the 2019 World Cup qualifications, the top eight sides in that ICC chart get a direct spot in the tournament while the remaining four teams in that list will need to fight for the final two spots along with six other qualifiers from the lower divisions.
As things stand, Pakistan’s 89 rating points are just three ahead of West Indies’ 86 and a 5-0 defeat in this series will see them another point. West Indies play South Africa in an ODI series later this year while there’s one between Pakistan and West Indies in the Caribbean as well that could well decide the final top eight.
Pakistan will know how tough it could get to make a comeback if they disintegrate in the very first game without a fight and that’s something coach Mickey Arthur will well beware of.
Australia go into the game with a few changes to their line-up; most notably they have dropped Aaron Finch and George Bailey for poor form, which allows Chris Lynn a chance to make his ODI debut. Lynn’s recent Big Bash League form demanded his selection in the ODI setup and he now has a chance to play his natural game according to skipper Steven Smith.
The other player who will feature in his maiden ODI is fast bowler Billy Stanlake who forms a part of the four-pronged pace attack for the hosts. Josh Hazlewood has been rested for this game while there is no place for leg-spinner Adam Zampa as Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell are expected to share the slow bowling attack.
Pakistan’s hand has been forced by the return home of Mohammad Irfan and Sarfaraz Ahmed due to personal reasons but it also opens up an opportunity for Mohammad Hafeez to slot right back into the side. Mohammad Rizwan will be keeping wickets as a result.
The onus will, as a result, be on captain Azhar Ali, who is coming off some excellent scores in the long-form but has shown his struggles in ODI cricket. Can Pakistan try and upset the world champions in their own backyard?
Follow the live scores & blog of this first ODI between Australia and Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane from 1.20 pm local time on Friday.
Basil
Guest
Funny what happens when you don't get dropped a couple times a game....
Scuba
Guest
Are you telling me you care about BBL? Where did Brisbane finish last season?
Scuba
Guest
How did the BBL's chief slogger go today? Shame the Pakistani bats aren't up to it, would be nice to have a contest before being routed in India.
doogs
Guest
thats pretty rough. 60 is hardly garbage
doogs
Guest
I thought it was a great knock too. Very calm. To be fair I thought he got a great slower ball.
doogs
Guest
I would have been happy with 240 so I was really happy with the 268. Good point about the Pakistan batting lineup. They are a bit of a mental wreck right now.
doogs
Guest
True Paul. But maybe best to stick it to him when he does not score a hundred. That would be fair
doogs
Guest
I am not fond of him at all but it was a great knock, regardless of how we feel about him
doogs
Guest
Too true. We did win and the good thing was somebody apart from Smith and Warner stood up (no disrespect to Renshaw and Handscombe who are not in the squad) and Khawaja who has been solid again this summer was not in the starting team. I hope Cummins keeps fit. He is such a danger. I am not a Wade fan either but that was a magic innings. From about 50 runs onwards he was really struggling with the 34 degree heat, but he ploughed on. Maxwell looked terriffic. He could be anything and I would love to see him pace himself. I thought he did today, even though it was a bit of a dud shot, it was still a very good slower ball in a good spot. Head looked really good as well and he is a handy bowler.
Felix
Guest
That's a great idea, even better than my league concept, let's allocate a couple of pools and go from there. Good job tonight Suneer.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Australia go 1-0 up. Pakistan are now left without their captain and vice-captain. At least for now. And that will make their task tougher for the tourists. The mental battering from this defeat would be another thing. After having snatched both, Warner and Smith so cheaply, Pakistan should have come close to winning it if not winning it. Instead they have fallen away to an easy loss. The hosts will be rather pleased with the truckload of positives that they can take from this game including the win. Matthew Wade's runs will help rebuild his confidence, as would his stand with Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell played his part with a quickfire fifty, before the Aussie quicks and Travis Head bowled as a pack to restrict Pakistan to just eight fours and two sixes in their innings - not enough when you are chasing 268. That's it from me. I head for bit of a break before returning for the New Zealand ODIs...will be talking cricket on Twitter though @suneerchowdhary - do give me a follow! Later.
Felix
Guest
I don't disagree with any of this. I live in Brisbane and haven't missed a test for 12 years. I didn't go this season. I also try to get along to the ODI games where time permits, but I've decided that they are complete waste of my personal resources. If they want ODI's to mean something, let's make a 12 month league out of it each year and get a table happening. The top 2 teams with most wins on aggregate home and away play off for some serious cash. That would at least get sponsors back.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
More than the format it's the context that could be the problem. The ICC has got some context into every game with their ICC Rankings but what I would like to see is football-style World Cup Qualifiers for ODI cricket in some sort of a foreseeable future. No system is perfect but it could be a start to get some relevance to most games.
anon
Guest
Everything wrong with international ODI cricket this match. More runs were scored last night in the BBL in 40 overs, than tonight in about 90 overs. Only hurts the international game hosting this ODI. Punters must feel like they flushed their hard earned cash down the toilet.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That is the end of that, Cummins ends the Pakistani innings... ...a 92-run win for Australia after falling to 5/78 at one stage is superb going from the world champions. Slower ball from Cummins has Wahab holing it out to Starc at mid-off to finish Pakistan off for 176.
Felix
Guest
Barring Suneer's unwavering (and excellent) live commentary, I think the banal nature of this is on display here. One comment in the last 40 mins! In my opinion ODI's are going to really struggle for relevance in 20 years if this is anything to go by. If we want a result in one day, let's get it in 3 hours not 8. I'm quite afraid that people don't have the patience, money nor interest in a completely irrelevant game of cricket. I'd advocate for keeping the World Cup, but get rid of 50 over cricket anywhere else.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And gone! Faulkner gets his fourth, Amir departs... ...slower ball and Amir was looking to clear the in-field on the off-side. Ends up slicing it and it pops right up over to Maxwell at wide mid-off. Completes an easy catch. Nine down.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another over ticks by and they reduce the target by just four. 8/167 in 41. 102 needed from nine.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And out, Azhar's painful's existence at the crease ends... Slower ball I think and Azhar wanted to slog it over mid-wicket. Ends up playing too soon and scoops it high in the air and to deep square where Warner holds on to another. Four singles off the first four balls of the Faulkner over before Azhar drills one back at him and gets dropped but the mistake doesn't prove too costly. Eight down.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Two singles from the Marsh over. Pakistan are left to score 110 from 11, which is a rather straightforward 10 an over. Azhar's injury could hinder that chase though.