Pat Cummins and Pakistan: Back to ODI Action

The three-match ODI series kicks off at the MCG, marking the beginning of Australia's season with an eye on the Champions Trophy. Before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, Australia will host Pakistan for three ODIs and T20Is, beginning Monday in Melbourne.

For Australia, this series is a critical part of their Champions Trophy preparation, with only a single match against Sri Lanka scheduled before February. Despite David Warner’s recent ODI retirement, Australia comes into the series in good shape, following a 3-2 victory over England in September. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are unavailable due to paternity leave, and Cameron Green is injured, but the key players—including captain Pat Cummins—will feature in parts of the series as they manage workloads ahead of the Test season.

This series also marks Pakistan's first ODI matches since their World Cup appearance nearly a year ago, during which Babar Azam's leadership faced major upheavals, including his resignation as captain, reinstatement, and eventual re-resignation. Mohammad Rizwan steps in as captain for this series, alongside returning players Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah. Jason Gillespie, appointed interim coach following Gary Kirsten's exit, will lead Pakistan in this tour, bringing an intriguing chance to coach against his home country.

Form Guide (Last Five Completed Matches):

- Australia: WLLWW  

- Pakistan: LWWLL  

Players to Watch: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam

Fraser-McGurk has a chance to prove himself as a potential partner for Travis Head at the Champions Trophy. The young batter made an impression in his ODI debut series against the West Indies, and he’ll look to build on that against a formidable Pakistan pace attack.

On Pakistan’s side, Kamran Ghulam returns after his remarkable Test century debut in Multan. Though he has only appeared as a concussion substitute in ODIs, this series offers him a proper start.

Teams

-Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa

-Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain  

Pitch and Conditions

The MCG pitch recently offered plenty of assistance for pace, and conditions on Monday are expected to be cool and overcast, though dry—favorable for fast bowlers early in the season.