Let me tell you why this could be a very exciting ODI series. One, Pakistan start as underdogs, but they are unpredictable and are playing at their adopted home in UAE. Two, Australia had a record of winning just 4 of 28 ODIs played since January 2017, but they recently resurrected, coming from 0-2 to complete a stunning 3-2 ODI series win against India earlier this month.
The series will see Pakistan playing without some key members like Shadab Khan and Babar Azam. Also, Sarfraz Ahmed is out of the 5-match series with a suspension, which puts Shoaib Malik’s captaincy skills to the test, especially after his PSL team finished joint-last on the PSL 2019 points table recently. For a complete fantasy preview of the 1st ODI between Pakistan and Australia, keep reading…
Match info
- Tournament: Australia vs Pakistan in UAE 2019
- Date: 22nd March 2019, 4:30pm IST
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah
- Capacity: 16,000+
- Series status: 1st game of the 5-match series
Form (recent first)
- Australia: W W W L L
- Pakistan: L W L L W
Stats
- Pakistan has won 83 of their 124 ODIs at Sharjah.
- Pakistan has won all of their last 4 ODIs here.
- Australia also has a decent win rate here – 14 wins in 22 games.
- 364/7 is the highest score here – Pakistan, December 2014.
- Shoaib Malik has 523 runs here – 1 century and 3 fifties; this to go with 23 wickets.
Pakistan
Umar Akmal is back again. Touted as one of Pakistan’s most talented young batsmen, Akmal last played an international in January 2017 but has made a comeback again. Is there a chance he finally stands up to the task? It seems unlikely, but it’s for these reasons you can him in my fantasy team. Completely inconsistent. Unreliable. Irresponsible. Not a lot of fantasy teams will be picking him and that’s where you can cash in. If he plays well, he could even find a spot in the World Cup squad.
The Pakistan bowling attack is one that has gained them massive success in recent times, but honestly, they don’t have a lot to boast of in this series. An out of form Mohammad Amir, Test specialist Yasir Shah, and the part-time option of Imad Wasim. Abid Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Saad Ali are a few more inexperienced players, all in line for ODI debuts some time this series. Pick all-rounders Wasim and Shoaib Malik for this 1st ODI.
Australia
The Australian team is looking stronger than they have in the last 12-18 months. They are peaking right in time for the ICC 2019 World Cup and one person to pick for sure is Usman Khawaja, and you may even choose to bump him up to your captain. He had scores of 50, 38, 104, 91, 100 against India recently and has almost certainly picked himself a spot in the WC squad.
Pat Cummins is one of their best bowlers at the moment, but Adam Zampa and Jhye Richardson had a brilliant series against India. They are cheaper and less popular picks for your fantasy team, and could give you high returns. Marcus Stoinis under-performed against India, but his amazing outing in the Big Bash League means I’ll keep him in my team. Glenn Maxwell is said to have been kept out of the squad for the 1st ODI with illness.
PAK vs AUS Betting
Best odds on PAK vs AUS 1st ODI
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— Read Scoops (@ReadScoops) March 21, 2019
My fantasy eleven
For more updates from Australia’s 2019 tour of UAE, keep reading ReadScoops.com.
