A beleaguered, churning Pakistan side has reached Australian shores for a three-match Test series to be played later this month. Beleaguered, because of the Men In Green's dismal performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Churning, because of what transpired after that. (Cricket News)
After Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, PCB president Zaka Ashraf met with then captain Babar Azam and the Pakistan team management in Lahore to hear from them the reasons for the team's poor show. Babar, after the meeting, announced his resignation as captain, having rejected an offer by the PCB to just lead the side in red-ball cricket.
Shan Masood was announced as the new Test captain as the PCB named an 18-member squad for the series against Australia. Left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub and right-arm fast bowler Khurram Shahzad earned maiden Test call-ups for the three-match series that will be played under the ongoing World Test Championship umbrella.
Pakistan Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Australia, meanwhile are fresh from a record-extending sixth triumph in the ODI World Cup and will be looking to continue similar form in the five-day format as well, under Pat Cummins' leadership.
Australia (1st Test only): Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner
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Head-To-Head Record
Australia and Pakistan have faced each other in 69 Test matches. Out of these 69 games, Australia have won 34, while Pakistan have emerged victorious on 15 occasions, and 20 matches have ended in a draw.
Below are the schedule, venues and live-streaming details of the upcoming Pakistan vs Australia Test series.
When and where will the Pakistan vs Australia Test series be played?
The PAK vs AUS Test series will be played from December 14 to January 7, 2023 in Australia. Before the Tests begin, there is a four-day warm-up game for Pakistan against the Prime Ministers XI. Here is the full itinerary (all timings in IST):
Warm-up match: From Wednesday, December 6 at the Manuka Oval, Canberra at 5am.
1st Test: From Thursday, December 14 at the Perth Stadium at 7:50am.
2nd Test: From Tuesday, December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 5am.
3rd Test: From January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground at 5am.
On which TV channels will the Test matches be telecast live?
The Test series will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network in India.
Where will the matches be live streamed?
The matches will be live streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app and website.
