Published: Jan 19, 2017, 06:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 18, 2017, 09:10 PM (IST)
Australia will square off with Pakistan in the third of the five-match ODI series at WACA, Perth. The live cricket streaming of the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia will be available online on Hotstar, while the live telecast of the match will be available on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2. Pakistan levelled series 1-1, after they beat the in-form hosts by 6 wickets in the second ODI — their first victory of this gruelling tour. However, Mohammad Hafeez will yet again captain Pakistan in the absence of injured Azhar Ali. Hafeez, at MCG, scored a vital 72 at the top, helping Pakistan chase down 221.
Australia, on the other hand, have been in an ominous form of late, clean-sweeping Pakistan in the three-Test essay and winning the ODI series opener by 92 runs. Ranked No. 1 in the ICC rankings, Australia will go all guns blazing in the third encounter and look to take a 2-1 lead to stay ahead in the race. But Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to carry on the momentum and avenge the Test series loss. In addition, Mitchell Starc has been rested for the match, giving Pakistan batsman an opportunity to score more runs.
FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs Australia, 3rd ODI at Perth
Pakistan, for that matter, stutter at No. 8 in ranking, below Bangladesh. Their journey in limited-overs has been topsy-turvy for the past few months. Before this series, they beat West Indies 3-0 at UAE and lost to England 4-1. Therefore, they have no option but to play out of their skin to prove their mettle in white-ball cricket.
