PAK vs AUS Team Previews

Pakistan

Although Pakistan rested their five key players coming into the series and their skipper asserted at almost every post-match interview and press conference that they are only testing their bench strength, the lack of contest in all games of the series has been worrisome not just for the fans but also for the management.

Pakistan have changed and chopped their side on all three occasions, but none of the changes appeared to be working. Their bowling, in particular, has been listless which hasn't caused any sorts of troubles whatsoever for the Aussies. Usman Shinwari was a refreshing change for Pakistan as he not only kept things quite early in the match but also dismissed dangerous Usman Khawaja in the first over of the match.

Haris Sohail and Mohammed Rizwan, who both scored a century each in the first two matches respectively, failed to come to the terms of the slow and low Abu Dhabi surface as Patrick Cummins sent them packing. Losing three wickets pretty early in the innings, Pakistan looked down and out but were bailed out by an important stand between Imam Ul Haq and Shoaib Malik only to nosedive again after the stand was broken.

Overall, Pakistan has looked a lot different side as compared to the one in South Africa. While playing a depleted side to test best-strength is the most prominent argument for it, fatigue could also be a major factor. Most members of the squad have played exhaustively in recently concluded Pakistan Super League and adjusting to the heat in this part of the world has always been tough even for the fittest and the weight of three back to back losses can multiply the impact. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the fourth ODI of the series.

Australia

Exactly opposite to how things have been for Pakistan, everything has fallen precisely in the right place for the Aussies. Aaron Finch, their swashbuckling batsman cum captain, has been in superb form and narrowly missed a century and consequently a record to his name in the third ODI of the series. On a surface where scoring runs was a laborious job, Finch played an instrumental knock of 90 runs albeit in 136 deliveries and kept their innings together.

Australia won the earlier two matched by an identical margin of 8 wickets and hence their lower middle order wasn't tested until the last match. Peter Handscomb looked in sublime touch before perishing for a well-made 47 off 43 deliveries and Glenn Maxwell finally exhibited his demolition skills as he wreaked havoc on Pakistani bowlers in the death overs.

With six wins on the trot, the Aussies appear to be peaking just at the right time - just before the marquee ICC event. Much of the credit goes to the way they've handled spin after their nightmarish in the home series against India where run Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. Their batsmen have been brilliant in handling spin whereas on the other hand the Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon have not only kept things tight in the middle over but have also managed to pick wickets at regular intervals.

Although there is almost nothing left to experiment for the Aussies, we might actually see one of their paceman being rested. However, that is something that they've done regularly throughout this series and still have been imposing enough. They have so far been several notches above the Pakistan side and it won't be easy to beat them in the fourth ODI of the series as well.