Posted on January 17, 2010 | Category: ODI
History:
Nimsworth
The last time Australia and Pakistan met in a ODI was that infamous last ball victory in Group A of the Champions Trophy in South Africa. However the last time they met in a series was 2009 in Abu Dhabi where Australia won 3-2. Only really notable events of the tour was that Ricky Ponting was rested, Australia opened the batting with Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin, James Hopes, and Shane Watson in various combinations during the five ODIs and it was Andrew Symonds last time to play ODI cricket for Australia.
Freemo
It’s true. These two teams have both tried lots of different opening combinations of late. The difference is of course that Australia have an abundance of opening riches: Marsh, Warner, Watson, Haddin, Hopes, Paine, while Pakistan have Salman Butt and, uh, um, others. Nevertheless, both teams have had some success in the shorter forms of the game recently, particularly Pakistan, for whom less overs means less drop catchers and less batting collapses.
Squads:
Australia
Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Brad Haddin (wk), James Hopes (for Brisbane), Adam Voges (for Sydney), Nathan Hauritz, Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger.
Pakistan
Mohammad Yousuf (capt), Shahid Afridi (vice-capt), Umar Akmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Asif.
Predicitons:
Nimsworth
I’m not actually sure if Younis Khan’s back in the squad or someone misplaced a comma as I was copying the squads from Cricinfo but really aside from Rana Naved (or Naved-ul-Hasan… bloody hell it’s like subcontinent versions of Standard Bank Pro20 teams) who did extremely well for Tasmania in A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FORMAT OF THE GAME I must say I see the poor Paki’s steamrolled despite the efforts of Afridi, Yousuf and Khan. If you lose to the Blackcaps well you’re gonna damn well lose to Australia.
Freemo
Wow, Australia have actually named something resembling a first string side for this series. Usually for these pointless ODI bilaterals Ponting takes a few games off, Haddin has a rest, Clarke has a rest, a three guys with four first class games between them are plucked from obscurity for their one and only turn in the green and gold before shuffling back to Second XI Grade cricket. Maybe they consider the tour of New Zealand coming up more pointless than this, and will ship the Australia J team off to that instead. This just means it will be 5-0 instead of 4-1.
» Filed Under ODI
