Pakistan vs Australia, 4th ODI preview, likely XIs: Pakistan seek batting improvement to stop Australia juggernaut

Pakistan have been completely outplayed this series by an Australian side at the top of their game. They secured the series with a massive 80-run win in Abu Dhabi. They have an unassailable 3-0 lead, and with two games still to go, this could become quite bad for Pakistan.

Aaron Finch has been a fine symbol of Australia’s resurgence. He is in stellar form – he only just missed out on his century in Abu Dhabi, having headed into the match with two centuries – and much like his team, he’s peaked as the World Cup draws closer.

However, with another series sealed, will Australia stick with their XI or try and mix things up in the final two outings? It seems unlikely. Australia will want to build this team, and given that the impending returns of David Warner and Steve Smith will force some changes, they will want incumbent batsmen get as much time in the middle as they can.

As for Pakistan, there is plenty they have to figure out. This is a second-string side, with the management making it clear the purpose of this series was to test their bench strength – on this evidence, there isn’t much strength on the bench.

They chopped and changed the bowlers throughout the series – Mohammad Amir was axed in the third ODI – but none of the moves yielded fruit, while the batsmen were unable to set 300-plus targets in the first two ODIs and were nipped out for 180-odd when chasing.

In the final two ODIs, they will seek more evidence of bench strength – the sooner the players the deliver, the better their chances of making the eventual World Cup squad.

Head to head

Australia are head and shoulders above Pakistan – out of 101 matches between them, the team from Down Under have won 65. That record extends to their meetings in the United Arab Emirates, where Australia have beaten Pakistan 11 times out of 17.

The loss in the third ODI meant Pakistan will continue to wait for a bilateral ODI series win over Australia in the UAE.

Venue details

Pakistan have a poor record at the Dubai International Stadium. They have lost 11 of the 20 ODIs they have played at this venue. Two of those losses came against Australia, in 2014 and 2009. However, they did secure one win against Australia here in that 2009 series.

The forecast is for clear skies on Friday, although there will be showers on the eve of the match.

Key players

Aaron Finch (Australia): The Australia captain has done incredibly to pull himself out of a rut – he has scored 359 runs at 179.50 in the series so far. That mojo looks set to continue in the final two matches of the series.

Shoaib Malik (Pakistan): Pakistan’s chances rest of Shoaib Malik. Their batting is out of sorts, and the onus is on Malik to anchor the innings and guide the innings. With regulars like Sarfaraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam rested for the series, Malik is the senior there, and he will need to take responsibility.

Likely XI

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik (c), Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Abbas

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch (c), Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa

Prediction

Australia have something about them – 4-0.