Match: Pakistan vs Australia, (PAK vs AUS, One-off T20I)
Date: April 5, 2022 – 8:30 PM IST
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
When and what time to watch the match live in India
For cricket fans in India, you can watch the live action between Pakistan and Australia in the one-off T20I on the Sony Sports Network. It will be broadcast live on channels like Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Fans will also be able to catch live streaming of the PAK vs AUS One-off T20I on the Sony Liv app and website. However, viewers will require a premium subscription to watch the match on Sony Liv. Catch the One-off T20I at 8:30 PM IST on April 5.
PAK vs AUS, One-off T20I:
With the three-match ODI series now behind us, the focus switches back to the shortest format of the sport where Pakistan will take on Australia in a one-off T20I contest in Lahore. Pakistan will be especially confident following their recent success in the ODI series.
The hosts brushed aside the humiliation of losing the Test series on home soil to Australia and returned back to winning ways in white-ball cricket. They didn’t get off to a good start to the ODI series either, as Australia took them to the sword and defeated them by 88 runs in the opening game.
However, Babar Azam and co fought their way back over the last two matches to win the series. In the most recent ODI, the Pakistan bowling unit led by Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim did extremely well to bundle out the visitors for just 210. Only Alex Carey was able to score a half century for them.
Meanwhile, captain Babar Azam led the run-chase for Pakistan with great aplomb. He remained not out on 105 to lead his side to victory. Babar was also elected as both the player of the match as well as the player of the series for his outstanding efforts. Pakistan will now be hoping to end the multi-format series against Australia on a strong note with a win in the one-off T20I.
Pitch Record and Weather Forecast for PAK vs AUS, T20I
Spin bowlers are expected to find assistance at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Both teams might look to utilize an extra spin bowler in order to take advantage of the conditions on offer. The ball comes well on to the bat and the surface will be friendly to the batters. Scores of 300 have been crossed here in the ODI series and the one-off T20 might prove to be a high-scoring encounter as well. The average first innings T20I score is 151 in the last five matches.
The weather should cool around the evening and the dew factor is not just expected to come into play but also prove decisive later in the match. Both captains are likely to bowl first after winning the toss as the wicket will get easier to bat on as the match progresses.
Pakistan – Expected XI and Team News
Pakistan aren’t expected to make plenty of changes to their lineup. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them stick to almost the same XI that brought them success in the recent ODI series. Haider Ali is expected to get a chance in the middle order while Shadab Khan might be utilized as the primary spin-bowling all-rounder.
Probable XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan
Australia – Expected XI and Team News
Australia have a young, new look squad for this one-off T20I. It essentially means that only three players who started for them in the T20 World Cup final are available to take the field here in Lahore. Captain Aaron Finch is the most experienced player among them but his returns have been extremely poor lately. He has made scores of 23, 0 and 0 in the ODI series and will be looking for a major impact. Adam Zampa could prove to be the X-factor for Australia.
Probable XI: Travis Head, Aaron Finch (c), Ben McDermott, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson
Head to Head record of Pakistan vs Australia:
Pakistan and Australia have played 24 T20Is against each other. Pakistan have the upper hand with victories in 12 matches while visitors Australia have won 10 games. Two matches have finished without a winner between the two teams. The two sides famously clashed in the semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup where Matthew Wade helped Australia knock Pakistan out of the tournament.
Total games – 24
Pakistan – 12
Australia – 10
No Result – 2
T20I: Five players to watch out for in the PAK vs AUS match:
Here we will discuss the five players that you need to pick in your MPL Fantasy XI:
Travis Head: Batter, Australia
Travis Head has been in unbelievable form and has shown plenty of consistency in the ODI series. He scored 101 runs in 72 deliveries in the opening match and had even picked up two wickets for 35 runs in his spell of six overs, winning the player of the match award. Head followed that up with another spectacular knock of 89 runs in the second ODI. Although he was dismissed for a duck in the previous match, Head will be expected to succeed here.
Babar Azam: Batter, Pakistan
In the second ODI, Babar Azam brought up his 15th ODI hundred during his 83rd innings. He became the fastest player in the world to accomplish this feat, overtaking South Africa’s Hashim Amla who had achieved that feat in 86 innings. Babar also scored a match-winning unbeaten century in the third ODI as well as a fifty in the first match, deservedly winning the Player of the Series award.
Mohammad Rizwan: Wicketkeeper, Pakistan
Mohammad Rizwan is ranked second in the ICC T20I batsman rankings. He has scored 1639 runs in 44 innings at a phenomenal average of 51.22. Rizwan also has a strike rate close to 129 and forms a formidable partnership up top with Babar Azam. The 29-year-old has a century and 13 fifties in this format.
Adam Zampa: Bowler, Australia
Adam Zampa is ranked fourth in the world among bowlers in the ICC T20I rankings. The Australian spinner is a master in this format and has collected 70 wickets in 61 matches. He has a wonderful economy rate of 6.79 and also averages of 21.11. Zampa could prove to the X-factor against a star-studded Pakistan batting lineup.
Shaheen Afridi: Bowler, Pakistan
Shaheen Afridi was exceptional during the ODI series and on the basis of pure form, is arguably the best fast bowler in the world right now. Shaheen has picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20I matches and is a menace with the new ball in the powerplay. He also has an economy rate of 7.83 in the 20-over format.
MPL Fantasy XI
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
