Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bowl first in the crucial second ODI against Australia at Adelaide Oval on Friday. The visitors face a must-win situation after trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.
The Pakistan squad maintains their previous lineup, showing confidence in the team despite their opening loss. Australia, however, strengthens their bowling attack by bringing in experienced pacer Josh Hazlewood to replace Sean Abbott.
Australian batting will rely on the dynamic opening pair of Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, followed by the solid middle order featuring Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell. Pat Cummins leads the home team's bowling unit, supported by Mitchell Starc and spin specialist Adam Zampa.
For Pakistan, the batting responsibility rests on the shoulders of Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, and skipper Rizwan. The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf aims to challenge Australia's batting lineup on the Adelaide pitch.
Playing XIs:
Australia: Short, Fraser-McGurk, Smith, Inglis (wk), Labuschagne, Maxwell, Hardie, Cummins (c), Starc, Zampa, Hazlewood
Pakistan: Shafique, Ayub, Azam, Rizwan (c & wk), Ghulam, Salman, Khan, Afridi, Shah, Rauf, Hasnain
A victory today would secure the series for Australia, while Pakistan needs to win to force a deciding third match. The Adelaide Oval's conditions promise an exciting battle between these cricket powerhouses.
