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Pakistan
Australia
Pakistan and Australia will meet in the deciding ODI of the series at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The series stands level at 1-1 after two contrasting matches. Pakistan chased down the target comfortably in the first ODI, while Australia responded strongly in the second match by defending a total in the 230s and bowling Pakistan out for 190.
Pakistan will enter this match with the advantage of having most of its key players available. Australia will continue to rely on their squad depth despite missing a few regular first-team players.
The recent head-to-head record slightly favours Pakistan, who have won 3 of the last 5 ODIs against Australia. An important trend is that 4 of those 5 matches were won by the team chasing. With the series on the line and both sides having already exposed each other's weaknesses, a competitive contest is expected in Lahore.
Arafat Minhas has already taken 7 wickets in 2 matches in this series and has consistently troubled Australia's batting line-up, making him a strong candidate to pick up multiple wickets again.
The betting tip is...
Arafat Minhas - Over 1.5 wickets
70 %
30 %
PakistanAustraliaBabar Azam leads Pakistan's batting. He scored 69 runs from 94 balls in the first ODI. Ghazi Ghori also contributed consistently, scoring 65 off 92 deliveries in the opening match and following it up with 37 off 43 in the second ODI.
Pakistan's batting struggled in the second game as the top three batters were dismissed for single-digit scores. Shadab Khan held the innings together with 71 runs from 104 balls and recorded Pakistan's only half-century of that match.
Arafat Minhas starred in the first ODI with a five-wicket haul and added two more wickets in the second match. Abrar Ahmed picked up two wickets in each of the first two ODIs. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf strengthened the pace attack by taking three and two wickets respectively in the second ODI.
Rauf also entered this match after taking 18 wickets in his previous eight games. Pakistan's bowling unit remained one of their biggest strengths during the series.
Ghori, Afridi and Minhas are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Ghazi Ghori (wk), Salman Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
In the first ODI, Matthew Short scored 55 runs from 76 balls. Matt Renshaw played an important role in the middle order with 61 runs from 63 deliveries in the same match.
Australia improved with the bat in the second ODI as Josh Inglis and Cameron Green both registered half-centuries. Renshaw continued his good form and added 43 runs from 43 balls.
Nathan Ellis took 2 wickets in the first match before producing a match-winning spell of 4 wickets in the second. Matthew Short claimed 3 wickets in the second ODI. Adam Zampa missed the opening match but returned for the second ODI and added experience to the spin department.
Inglis, Renshaw and Ellis are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Matthew Short, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (c, wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Ollie Peake, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann
The series has been closely contested, but Pakistan appear to have a slight edge heading into the decider. Their bowling attack has looked stronger across the first two matches, with Arafat Minhas leading the way after taking 7 wickets in the series. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have also provided consistent support and added experience in key phases of the game.
Australia showed great character in the second ODI, but their batting remains vulnerable against quality pace and spin.
Pakistan's bowlers have created regular wicket-taking opportunities throughout the series and should again play a major role in Lahore. We expect Pakistan to make better use of home conditions and win a competitive contest, with Minhas once again making a strong impact with the ball.
