Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 is still in a dilemma, as the PCB have not confirmed their stance. But Salman Agha and his team will be in action. Pakistan are scheduled to host Australia for a three-match T20I series ahead of the marquee event. The first T20I will be live from Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on January 29 (Thursday) at 4:30 PM IST.
Babar Azam has been included in the T20 World Cup squad and will be in action for this series. Shadab Khan has also made a good comeback with useful performance in the recent series against Sri Lanka. Haris Rauf is the biggest miss, but they have good variety in their bowling attack.
Australia have some injury issues with Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Glenn Maxwell, who are not part of this series. But Australia have managed a good squad with top performers from BBL 15, featuring in the squad. Mitchell Marsh and co. will look to try out different combinations in this series.
PAK vs AUS: Match Info.
- · Series: Australia tour of Pakistan 2026
- · Match: Pakistan vs Australia, 1st T20I
- · Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
- · Time: 7:00 PM IST
- · Date: January 29, 2026 (Thursday)
Pakistan vs Australia: Head-to-Head: PAK (13) – AUS (14)
Australia and Pakistan have locked horns 28 times in the shorter format. Australia lead the H2H scoreline with 14 wins as compared to 13 victories for Pakistan, whereas one game has been called off.
PAK vs AUS: Pitch Report
Gaddafi Stadium has an excellent deck for the batters. Even in the local T20 tournaments, high totals have been scored here of late. The good bounce makes it easier to hit through the line. But the ball will grip a bit in the lateral stages, which makes it good to bat second here.
PAK vs AUS: Live Streaming Details
- · TV: Not Televised
- · Digital: FanCode (App or Website)
PAK vs AUS: Weather Report
The weather forecast for Thursday in Lahore will be a little bit cooler with the minimum temperature predicted to be around 12°C. The humidity is likely to be around 75 percent with 3 km/h wind speed.
PAK vs AUS: Last Five Results
- Australia: NR, W, L, L, NR
- Pakistan: L, W, W, NR, L
Pakistan vs Australia: Predicted XIs:
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha ©, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed
Australia: Mitchell Marsh ©, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa
PAK vs AUS: Players to Watch out For
Australia: Mitchell Marsh is in great form with the bat. He was one of the top scorers in the BBL 15. With this form, he can change the game in the power play with his bat.
Pakistan: Saim Ayub brings his aggressive approach with the bat and is useful bowler in the middle, who can give good overs. He is a complete package for T20I.
Pakistan vs Australia Today’s Match Prediction: Pakistan know these conditions, and they can plan accordingly. But do they have the firepower to match Australia? Pakistan have an excellent spin unit with wicket-takers and defensive spinners. Fast bowlers are a little out of form. That is where, Australia seem to be more stronger.
They have good pace bowlers, and Adam Zampa is the specialist spinner in the squad. But with the bat, Australia have so many power hitters, while Pakistan will rely on the pitch and a few players. This is why, Australia are favorites heading into this contest on Thursday.
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