In an eye-catching conclusion to the ODI series, Pakistan and Australia are preparing to lock horns in the third and final match in Lahore on Thursday. The series is levelled at 1-1, making this clash a mouth-watering decider, with Australia riding high on success. Pakistan made an impressive start to the series in Rawalpindi, securing a thumping five-wicket victory in the opening ODI. However, Australia responded emphatically in the second match, bouncing back strongly in Lahore to level the series and force a decider. 

Australia have traditionally enjoyed considerable success against Pakistan in ODI cricket, and they demonstrated it despite travelling with an under-strength squad. Pakistan, meanwhile, will be eager to prove that their recent success over Australia was no one-off achievement. They have a bright chance to secure a series win. Australia's bowlers were the architects of their comeback in the second ODI. Defending a modest total of 231, they came out with a disciplined performance, putting Pakistan's batting lineup under pressure.

Nathan Ellis spearheaded the attack with an outstanding four-wicket haul, and Matt Short also made a valuable contribution, claiming three wickets and helping dismantle Pakistan's chase. Pakistan's bowling attack, however, has shown enough quality to keep Australia on edge. Pacer and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has demonstrated his ability to make early breakthroughs, picking up three wickets in the previous match. 

Haris Rauf has also shown great composure and discipline. Amid this, one area of concern for both teams has been the inconsistency of their top-order batting. Across the first two matches, neither side has been able to have dominant starts. Now, going into the final, both sides would expect their batters to step up and perform upto the standards. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 114

PAK won - 37

AUS won - 72

No result - 4

Tied - 1

Pakistan likely XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Ghazi Ghori (wk), Salman Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Australia likely XI: Matthew Short, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (c&wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Oliver Peake, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann