Australia vs. Pakistan: Second Test Preview

Australia vs. Pakistan: Second Test Preview

Match Details:

Series/tournament name: Australia v Pakistan

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Date: November 29, 2019

Time: 09:00 a.m. IST

Preview:

Australia will face Pakistan in the second Test in the two-match series, starting on Friday in Adelaide. The home side have a 1-0 lead after securing a comprehensive an innings and five-run triumph in the series opener in Brisbane. The game is expected to attract a larger crowd than the one in Brisbane, as it will be a day and night Test.

Weather report:

There are forecast of rain in the first four days of the match while the first day can be affected due to showers in the afternoon and evening.

Pitch report:

The pitch in Adelaide is traditionally a slower one where there is some assistance for the spinners. However, the behavior can be different considering the fact that the game will be played under lights along with pink ball and there are chances of rain nearly every day which will keep the track fresh.

Probable Playing XI:

Australia:

After securing a comprehensive win in the first Test, the home side is expected to field the same playing XI in Adelaide as well. In the batting department, the Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of in-form openers David Warner, Joe Burns, young Marnus Labuschagne and veteran Steve Smith to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc

Match Details:

Series/tournament name: Australia v Pakistan

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Date: November 29, 2019

Time: 09:00 a.m. IST

Preview:

Australia will face Pakistan in the second Test in the two-match series, starting on Friday in Adelaide. The home side have a 1-0 lead after securing a comprehensive an innings and five-run triumph in the series opener in Brisbane. The game is expected to attract a larger crowd than the one in Brisbane, as it will be a day and night Test.

Weather report:

There are forecast of rain in the first four days of the match while the first day can be affected due to showers in the afternoon and evening.

Pitch report:

The pitch in Adelaide is traditionally a slower one where there is some assistance for the spinners. However, the behavior can be different considering the fact that the game will be played under lights along with pink ball and there are chances of rain nearly every day which will keep the track fresh.

Probable Playing XI:

Australia:

After securing a comprehensive win in the first Test, the home side is expected to field the same playing XI in Adelaide as well. In the batting department, the Kangaroos will be relying on the likes of in-form openers David Warner, Joe Burns, young Marnus Labuschagne and veteran Steve Smith to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to do bulk of the damage.

Predicted XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (C & WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan:

After suffering a mammoth defeat in the series opener, the Men in Green are likely to make as many as three changes in the playing XI with Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Musa coming in for Haris Sohail, Imran Khan and Naseem Shah. In the batting department, the visitors will be relying on the likes of opener Shan Masood, captain Azhar Ali, veteran right-hander Asad Shafiq and young Babar Azam to score bulk of the runs whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah and Abbas to produce timely breakthroughs.

Predicted XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (C), Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Musa

Top picks:

Wicketkeeper: Mohammad Rizwan (8 Cr)

Mohammad Rizwan will get another chance to prove his worth in the five-day format in Adelaide. In the first Test, the right-hander had an impressive outing with the bat in hand as he finished the match as the top-scorer for the Men in Green with 132 runs across both innings.

Batsman: Marnus Labuschagne (8.5 Cr)

Marnus Labuschagne is slowly but surely becoming a permanent member of the Australia's Test XI. The right-hander had an outstanding outing in the first Test where he scored his maiden century in the five-day format and finished the match with the top score of 185.

All-rounder: Iftikhar Ahmed (8 Cr)

Iftikhar Ahmed had a poor outing in the first Test where he only managed to score seven runs in both innings and could not claim a single wicket for the team with the ball in hand. However, after showing impressive performances in the early part of the tour, Ahmed is likely to get another opportunity to showcase his talent.

Bowler: Mitchell Starc (8.5 Cr)

Mitchell Starc had an impressive outing in the first Test for the home side. The left-arm pacer finished the match with the figures of seven for 125 in just 34.4 overs.

Captaincy options: Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam, Yasir Shah, Mitchell Starc

Dream XI team:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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