Australia and Pakistan are set to resume their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign from December 14 in Perth where the first Test of the three-match series will be played. It is a massive Test series for the home side as opener David Warner is set to retire after this series while for Pakistan, it marks a start of new era with Babar Azam stepping down as captain from all formats post the World Cup debacle. Shan Masood has taken over as the Test captain and has a task on his hands down under in this series.
Pakistan have not won a single Test in Australia since 1995 and have lost their last 14 Test matches down under as well. Meanwhile, Australia are gearing up to give a winning farewell to Warner even as Nathan Lyon eyes completing 500 wickets in Test cricket. The likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne also return to their favourite format with the pace bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins returning after taking a break post the World Cup 2023 final. Here's all you need to know about AUS vs PAK Test series:
Schedule
1st Test - December 14 - December 18: Perth - 7:50 AM IST
2nd Test - December 26 - December 30: Melbourne - 5 AM IST
3rd Test - January 3 - January 7: Sydney - 5 AM IST
Squads
Pakistan Squad: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Khurram Shahzad, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Australia Squad: David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Scott Boland, Lance Morris
Where to Watch
Star Sports network has the broadcast rights of the Australia vs Pakistan Test series. The live streaming of this series will be available for free on mobile on Disney + Hotstar.