With an eye on the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan's new captain Mohammad Rizwan is looking for the ideal team combination in the ODI series against Australia

New Delhi (India): Pakistan have their sights firmly set on next year's ICC Champions Trophy as they prepare to begin their ODI series against Australia under the leadership of new captain Mohammad Rizwan. Following his recent appointment as white-ball skipper, Rizwan expressed his determination to find the right team combination ahead of the tournament, which will be further reinforced with a number of ODI matches on the horizon.

“We plan to play a full series of ODIs in Pakistan again before the ICC Champions Trophy next year,” Rizwan said in a statement released by PCB, according to the ICC.

“The upcoming series, starting with Australia, then Zimbabwe, South Africa and the three-nation home tournament, will help us put together the right combination for the mega event,” he added.

As the reigning champions, who triumphed by beating India in the final in the last edition of the tournament in 2017, Pakistan will be looking to build on their previous successes. The team is currently undergoing a reboot to refine its lineup ahead of the prestigious event. In an exciting announcement, Pakistan have announced their playing eleven for the first ODI, including debutants Muhammad Irfan Khan and Saim Ayub.

Meanwhile, defending men's Cricket World Cup champions Australia have also named their starting XI for the series opener. They will introduce a new opening pairing in Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, both of whom will be vying for Champions Trophy position alongside Travis Head. Australian captain Pat Cummins has encouraged his openers to adopt an aggressive style and given them the freedom to play their natural game, reminiscent of T20 cricket.

“It was quite scary to bowl against them in both the T20 and One-Day tournaments, so that is our message to them,” he said ahead of the ODI, according to the ICC.

“I would prefer if they definitely gave it a proper try,” he added.

Australia XI for the first ODI: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Pakistan XI for the first ODI: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain.

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