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Pakistan Opt to Bowl First in Second ODI
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against Australia in the second ODI at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. This was the second time in this series that Pakistan were chasing and their decision was influenced by yet another spin-friendly pitch, which captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said had been especially curated so the hosts could dominate Australia.
Australia Reinforce Spin Bowling Stocks
Australia reinforced their spin bowling stocks by replacing Billy Stanlake with Adam Zampa, who was forced to pull out of the first ODI in Rawalpindi because of a neck spasm.
“It’s [spinning pitches] not hogging our minds,” Australia captain Josh Inglis said at the toss. His team was bowled out for 200 in 44.1 overs on Saturday. “We have got to learn on the go and adapt quickly according to these conditions.”
Pakistan Defend Decision to Roll Out Turning Pitches
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson, on Monday, defended Pakistan’s decision of rolling out turning pitches, arguing spin will have a role to play in the 2027 World Cup, which will be spread across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Trailing 0-1 in the three-match rubber, Australia are staring at their third consecutive ODI series defeat to Pakistan.
Teams
Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Maaz Sadaqat, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Ghazi Ghori (wk), 5 Salman Ali Agha, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Arafat Minhas, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed
Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Alex Carey, 3 Josh Inglis, 4 Matt Renshaw, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Oliver Peake, 8 Nathan Ellis, 9 Matt Kuhnemann, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Tanveer Sangha
