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    • AUS vs PAK 2024/25, AUS vs PAK 1st T20I match preview
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    AUS vs PAK 2024/25, AUS vs PAK 1st T20I match preview

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    Big picture: Those who care win

    Australia have been criticized in some quarters for allegedly “not caring” about the ODI format following their shock 2-1 defeat to Pakistan. They field an equally reduced T20I side with three first-choice T20I bowlers, permanent T20 captain Mitchell Marsh and their best T20 opener Travis Head unavailable. It gives Pakistan the chance to complete a rare white-ball series double in Australia, with the same set of fast bowlers minus Mohammad Hasnain set to be unleashed on the same vulnerable batting unit in the three-match series from Thursday.

    But the immediacy of results in T20I cricket is even less important for Australia than the ODI series. This series is part of the early build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, after their experienced group from the 2024 T20 World Cup was sent back in the Super Eight stages.

    The winds of change have already blown through the five T20Is they played in Great Britain against Scotland and England. Josh Inglis is now the regular wicketkeeper and will be the stand-in captain for this series, as he was for the last ODI in Perth. He is also a mainstay in the top four and looks to be in third place after spending a brilliant century in that position in Scotland.
    Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk open together for the first time in T20Is after alternating as Head’s partner in Great Britain. Fraser-McGurk batted at number 3 in his last T20I in England and made a half-century. He will be much more comfortable in the shorter format than in the ODIs, but his method against the moving and bouncing new ball will be tested again by Pakistan’s pacers as he vies with Short to become Head’s regular partner in T20I cricket to become.
    For Pakistan, it will be their first T20I since failing to reach the Super Eight at the T20 World Cup in June. The RizBar style of cricket came under intense criticism in the aftermath of that World Cup, with Babar Azam losing the white-ball captaincy to Mohammad Rizwan. Any changes to their cricket style and long-term planning for 2026 and 2028 have been put on hold following the resignation of Gary Kirsten, with Jason Gillespie in temporary charge. Pakistan did not have to show any increased aggression with the bat in the ODI series as it was won thanks to an excellent fast bowling performance. They will no doubt look to replicate that bowling success in the T20I series against a similar top order in Australia.
    How they structure the batting remains to be seen as Saim Ayub was not named in the squad after opening alongside Rizwan in their last T20I, making 82 and 42 in the two ODI wins in Adelaide and Perth. Pakistan also barely used a fifth bowler in the ODI series but will likely need a fifth and sixth option in the T20Is.

    Form guide

    Australia: LWWWW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
    Pakistan: WWLLL

    In the spotlight: Tim David and Babar Azam

    Tim David is at an interesting stage in his career. At 28, the on-loan T20 gun has come off the boil in recent times as a finisher in a brutally difficult role to be consistent. He remains a key part of Australia’s mid-range in the shortest format, but the team hierarchy identified him as underused in the World Cup and would like to see him play more balls to give him more time to get ready before the last overs to start. He batted once at No. 5 in the five games of the recent UK tour. He may get a chance in that slot during this series.

    Babar Azam is still the No. 4 T20I batsman in the world, but his strike rate has been a point of focus in the wake of the World Cup collapse. Where he bats in this series remains to be seen, but he will be released. He looked good in the ODI series but was not under any scoring pressure in those matches. It will be interesting to see if he can step up a gear in the T20Is or if he sticks to his methods.

    Team news: Injured fast players return for Australia

    Australia will make at least three enforced changes from their last T20I in September, with Head, Connolly and Cameron Green all unavailable. Glenn Maxwell returns after a break from the T20I leg of the UK tour. Ellis, Bartlett and Johnson are back from injury and join Sean Abbott in the squad. Three of those four will form the pace attack along with Adam Zampa, with some rotation likely to occur across the three matches.

    Australia (probable): 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Josh Inglis (capt/wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Tim David, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Nathan Ellis/Sean Abbott, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Adam Zampa

    Pakistani team: Mohammad Rizwan (capt/wk), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

    Location and conditions

    There has only been one professional match played at the Gabba so far this season and it was a WBBL match. It was one of the highest scoring matches of the season and both sides are expecting a good white ball pitch with more pace and bounce for the fast bowlers. However, it will be warm and humid, so the ball will likely swing. A small threat of rain and thunder is also forecast.

    Quotes

    “T20 cricket is obviously a completely different format, so I think we will take our lessons from the ODI series and the information we have gathered about the bowlers and their batters. But it is a clean slate, a new format. We Really looking forward to it.”
    Josh Inglis in bouncing back from the ODI series loss

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