Pakistan take on Australia in three-match ODI series decider in Lahore today

The third and last one-day international (ODI) of the three-match series between Pakistan and Australia will be played at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

The match will kick off at 4:30 PM Pakistan Standard Time (PST)

The match is make or break for both the teams as it will decide the winner of the series as both teams have won one match each.

On the other hand, skipper Pakistan cricket team Shaheen Shah Afridi says he is optimistic that his team will win today’s match.

Pakistan claimed victory in the opening match, while Australia bounced back strongly to win the second game, setting up a winner-takes-all finale.

Australia defeated Pakistan by 41 runs in the second ODI at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series at 1-1.

Chasing 232 for victory, Pakistan struggled to build substantial partnerships and were bowled out for 190 in 44 overs.

Shadab Khan offered the strongest resistance with an unbeaten 71, but his effort proved insufficient to prevent defeat.

Ghazi Ghori scored 37, while Arafat Minhas contributed 33 runs, with no other batter able to make a significant impact.

Australia's bowling attack was led by Nathan Ellis, who claimed four wickets, while Matthew Short picked up three to dismantle Pakistan's batting line-up.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi elected to field first, a decision that paid early dividends as the home side kept Australia's batting line-up under pressure throughout the innings.

Australia's resistance was led by Cameron Green, who top-scored with 53 runs, while Josh Inglis contributed 51 and Matt Renshaw added 43 to help the visitors reach a competitive total.

Hosts had secured a five-wicket victory in the opening ODI against the Aussies played in Rawalpindi.

Ahead of the crucial fixture, the Pakistan squad has been given a full rest day to recover and prepare for the final push in the series.

Team management is expected to finalise strategies and combinations ahead of the decisive contest.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Maaz Sadaqat, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Ghazi Ghouri (wk), 5 Arafat Minhas, 6 Salman Agha, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Shaheen Afridi (capt), 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Australia (probable) 1 Alex Carey, 2 Matt Short, 3 Josh Inglis (capt & wk), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Matt Renshaw, 7 Oli Peake, 8 Matt Kuhnemann, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Tanveer Sangha