Even the biggest fans of Pakistan cricket would not have imagined that their team would enter a game in the ongoing Australia tour as the favourites.
However, after a nine-wicket series-levelling triumph in the 2nd ODI at the Adelaide Oval, Pakistan are certainly the favourites to win the 3rd ODI in Perth and the series 2-1.
While Pakistan's convincing win in Adelaide makes them the favourites, the exit of several star players from the Aussie camp adds more weightage to it.
Australia will be devoid of their skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood as they have left the ODI camp to prepare for the eagerly awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has been named as captain in Cummins' absence and needs to instil motivation in his troops to script a fightback and seal the series.
For Pakistan, the odds are suddenly in their favour and they just need to replicate their heroics of Adelaide in Perth to register their second-ever ODI series win against Australia in Australia in the 21st century.
Perth Stadium Pitch Report for 3rd ODI between Australia and Pakistan
The head pitch curator at the venue, Isaac McDonald, has told ESPNcricinfo that it will be a typical Perth wicket with plenty of carry, pace and bounce. However, there will still be a lot of runs on offer for those batters who can handle the three elements well.
Perth Stadium ODI Record and Stats
Total ODI Matches: 5
Matches won batting first: 1
Matches won bowling first: 4
Average first innings score: 178
Average second innings score: 177
Highest total scored: 259 all out by England vs Australia
Highest score chased: 185/6 by NZ-W vs AUS-W
Lowest total recorded: 152 all out by Australia vs South Africa
Lowest score defended: 259 all out by England vs Australia
Australia's predicted playing XI: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis (c, wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Lance Morris
Pakistan's predicted playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain
