Big picture: Pakistan’s year-long gap amid chaos
Australia’s top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.
For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 victory in England in September.
Form guide
(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLL
In the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam
Team news: Hardie included
Cummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.
Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa
Irfan Khan will make his ODI debut in the middle order while Pakistan have included four frontline fast bowlers. Mohammad Rizwan was listed at No. 4
Pakistan (likely): 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 pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it’s still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it’s due to stay dry.
Stats and trivia
Quotes
“It’s a great way to kind of kick into the summer. Some of the young guys, seeing what they’re made of as they’re kind of starting out their international careers. And then in the longer-term context, we’ve got Champions Trophy coming up, which always has a good link into that.”
Pat Cummins ahead of the start of the home summer
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo