Simply, Pakistan needs to beat Australia Down Under; somehow, someway. Their hoodoo has astoundingly extended nearly 12 years with Pakistan losing 16 straight matches to the hosts on Australian soil across the formats. It isn't even a monkey on their back, it's more like a gorilla such is this burgeoning curse.
Azhar Ali is likely to be ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury in the first game. © Cricbuzz
In the opening One-Day International (ODI) in Brisbane, Pakistan seemingly had a great opportunity to finally breakthrough having dominated much of Australia's innings. A new-look Australian batting order struggled against a fusion of probing pace and spin, complemented by astute tactical nous from Azhar Ali, a refreshing change compared to Misbah-ul-Haq's uninspired captaincy during the Test series.
Unfortunately, in typical fashion, Pakistan could not finish off their good work with Matthew Wade, Australia's maligned wicketkeeper, dominating the backend of the innings to help the home team reach a highly competitive 268 for 9, which proved more than enough. For a healthy chunk of the innings, it appeared Australia would struggle to reach 220-230 but Wade's brilliance coupled with Pakistan's flagging spirits ensured the total ballooned.
Inevitably, Pakistan crumbled with the bat with no batsman able to score more than 33 despite plenty of starts. It all meant that Pakistan endured another thrashing in Australia, one more humiliation in a litany of disastrous performances. Reminiscent of the Test series, Pakistan have demonstrated that their best can challenge Australia but, frustratingly, they have an inability to sustain pressure and effort.
Granted, Pakistan deserves some pathos considering Azhar suffered a hamstring strain while batting meaning he is unlikely to play in the second ODI in Melbourne, while his deputy
