Pakistan Women's tour of Australia

AUS-W vs PAK-W, 3rd T20

Preview: 

The third and final match of the three-match T20I series between Australia Women and Pakistan Women (AUS-W vs PAK-W) will take place on Sunday (January 29) at 08:15 AM IST Live. The third match of the series will be played at the Manuka Oval, Canberra. Team Australia has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match T20I series and they will be looking to clean-sweep the Pakistani side on Sunday.

It has been a one-sided affair so far with The Hosts dominating the visitors in every department. There was never a chance for the visiting Women at any point in any of the matches. The variety in the bowling attack has been the biggest strength of Australia. And it will be once again a key factor in this match. PAK-W opted to bat in both of the T20Is so far and failed big time.

There seems to be no way out of their current situation for Women in Green. Whether they opt to bat or bowl first in this game, their failure with the bat will have them on the back foot. This Aussies Women's side has a deep lineup given the all-rounders on their side. And as such, Pakistan would need to post a highly competitive total if they are to put any pressure on the hosts. Pakistan's skipper Maroof, Muneeba Ali, and Nida Dar will be key batters for Pakistan in this endeavour.

The Hosts will come to Canberra with a lot of confidence and momentum on their side as they face PAK-W for the last time in this series. Having already won the ODI series 3-0, the AUS-W have clinched the T20I series as well winning the first two games.

Now a win at the Manuka Oval would finish a clean sweep on Sunday. 9 of the 11 players in this side bowled at least an over each in the last match at Hobart. Such a great variety in the bowling attack would put any opposition on the back foot.

The bowlers restricted PAK-W to just 96 for 7 in 20 Overs after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first in the second T20I. In the first T20I, Schutt picked a fifer while Perry and King finished with two wickets each. 

Perry’s fifty at the top headlined Australia’s win as the hosts chased down 119 runs in just 13.2 overs. In the next game, The destructive batter Beth Mooney opened with Meg Lanning and added 60 runs for the first wicket while chasing a 97-runs target. In the middle order, Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardener are the key players for the Hosts. The top 4 would be enough to chase down a total against the visitors considering Pakistan’s current form with the bat.

For Pakistan, Maroof and the team management and the board at large should now understand the significance of a good domestic circuit. The Women's AUS T20 League has made Aussies what they are today. PAK-W lacks experience at such a competitive stage and can’t make any impact against AUS-W. It is a lot tougher to beat the hosts in their backyard for this Pakistan team. It would take a lot more work at home before they are ready to dominate the almighty Aussies down under.

Winning a match here seems like a distant dream considering their performances so far on this tour. Skipper Maroof needs her team to come together and deliver a much better performance in the final match of this tour. Her side may not be the favourites but they can take a lot of learning from this tour. Muneeba Ali’s 33 off 43 balls would be a concern for the team. PAK-W lost their first wicket for 17 runs in the 2nd T20I.

Muneeba’s was the second wicket to fall in the 11th over. So, it wasn’t like the opener needed to adopt a cautious approach because wickets fell regularly from the other end. Ali stayed on the crease for a very long and didn’t score much. Sadaf Shamas, Nida Dar, and Omaima Sohail are other key middle-order batters who have made contributions in the past but failed to produce runs in this series so far. These three along with skipper Maroof will be responsible to lead the PAK-W to a respectable total.

Match Details

Match: AUS-W vs PAK-W, 3rd T20 Match, Pakistan Women's tour of Australia

Date: Sunday, January 29, 2023

Time: 08:15 AM IST

Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia

Pitch & Weather Report

The Venue will host the last T20I of the series between AUS-W and PAK-W on Sunday. The average 1st innings score here in Women’s T20Is is 152 runs and even this par total would be enough for Australia to defend. There isn’t much difference in the results of Women’s T20Is between team batting first and second. However, in the domestic T20s, it is the team bowling first that has an advantage. The Hosts with their current bowling form would be more than happy to bowl first and finish a clean sweep in the final T20I.

The weather forecast for the matchday on 29th January 2023 at the Manuka Oval is expected to be rainy on the match day with a high of 25 degrees Celsius and with 90% chance of precipitation, with a wind of 14 km/h.

AUS-W vs PAK-W Squads

AUS-W: Alyssa Healy (C & WK), Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

PAK-W: Bismah Maroof (C), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Tuba Hassan

AUS-W vs PAK-W Probable XIs

AUS-W: Beth Mooney (wk), Nicola Carey, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

PAK-W: Muneeba Ali (wk), Javeria Khan, Bismah Maroof (c), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ayesha Naseem, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hassan, Aiman Anwer, Sadia Iqbal

Match Prediction

It is a one-sided game with The Hosts being the dominant side in this 3-match T20I series so far they won both matches. They haven’t lost a single game so far on Pakistan’s tour of Australia. Women in green couldn't even make the hosts slightly uncomfortable in any of the games so far. With a far superior squad and current form, AUS-W will be the big favourites in our match prediction. We say AUS to beat PAK and go 3-0 up in the T20I series and clean sweep the Visitors on Sunday.

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