Green-top pitch prepared for second Pakistan-Australia ODI

ADELAIDE: The second ODI of the ongoing three-match series between Pakistan and Australia will be played on a green-top pitch at the Adelaide Oval here on Friday.

The first look of the Adelaide Oval pitch is out and it appears to be a green-top, which usually favours the pacers with the new ball as it offers early seam movement and uneven bounce.

After weathering out a challenging initial phase, the conditions may get eased out for the batters. Furthermore, there is a likelihood that the spinners might get some turn on the surface.

The Adelaide Oval here has hosted a total of 86 ODIs till date with the team batting first winning 46 times, while the team batting second has emerged victorious on 38 occasions.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, 1-0 down in the three-match series, boast a dismal ODI record at the venue as they managed to win just one out of their eight matches.

Their solitary ODI victory at the venue came in 1996 under the leadership of Wasim Akram when Saqlain Mushtaq’s five-wicket haul bamboozled Australia by 12 runs.

It was reported on Wednesday, that the touring side is considering including a regular spinner to their lineup for the second ODI against Australia.

The 15-member Pakistan squad features two regular spinners — Arafat Minhas and Faisal Akram.

Notably, if a spinner is added to Pakistan's playing XI, either Naseem Shah or Mohammad Hasnain could be rested.

It is worth noting here that Naseem struggled with the cramps in the series opener on Monday.

As per the latest reports, the 21-year-old has attained complete fitness and is available for the second ODI but could still be given rest to add a regular spinner to the bowling attack.

Pakistan’s ODI Squad:

Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia's ODI Squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Josh Philippe, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.