After routing Pakistan by an innings and five runs in Brisbane, Australia will be keen to continue their surge when the two teams lock horns in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. The head-to-head record is stacked firmly in favour of the hosts. 

Australia have won 32 of the 65 encounters played between the two sides, with Pakistan managing just 15 wins. 18 encounters have ended in a draw. Australia have played five day-night Tests and have been victorious in each of them. Pakistan have won one and lost two of the three day/night Tests that they have been a part of.  

Ground Details and Team Combination

There have been 77 Tests played in Adelaide out of which three have been day/night affairs. The records in those three outings and in day/night Tests, in general, have skewed in favour of fast bowlers. Batting has been a tough job in day/night Tests here, with 289 being the average first-innings. The pink ball has historically done slightly more and that is likely to be the case come Friday as well. 

The pacers have picked 84 of the 103 wickets to fall in the three pink-ball Tests in Adelaide striking every 50.7 deliveries. The spinners, in comparison, have a strike-rate of 73.3. So, an all-out pace attack might be the best way to go for this Test. 

As we have mentioned, pacers have been highly effective at this venue, so an all-out fast bowling attack could be considered. In addition, five frontline batsmen and two pace bowling all-rounders could be an ideal make of your side. 

On the bowling front, left-arm pacers have been most effective at this venue in the three pink-ball Tests, having picked a wicket every 31.9 deliveries. Mitchell Starc has a terrific record in Test matches at this venue and picking him in your side should be a no-brainer. In addition, Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi could also fit in your side well.

Captain Selection: 

Mitchell Starc might be off his radar a few times but when he is on point, he really can cause batsmen a problem or two. He was sensational in the first test in Brisbane returning seven wickets in the match. What should further convince you to make him the captain of your side is his excellent record with the pink ball in Adelaide. Starc has picked up 17 wickets in three day/night Tests at this venue striking every 33.4 balls. The pink ball does a fair bit in the evening session and if Starc can keep his form intact, the Pakistan batsmen could find themselves in a bit of strife pretty early. 

X-Factors: 

The fulcrum of Australia’s bowling unit, there is little doubt that Pat Cummins has been one of the best bowlers in the longest format in the game over the last two years. He is the highest wicket-taker since the start of 2018, with 92 scalps at a strike-rate of 42.3. Cummins has an excellent record in day/night Test matches too having picked up 13 wickets in two games striking every 30.3 balls. He knows how to make the ball talk and can really be lethal with the pink ball in hand. 

Steve Smith has been in delightful form this year and although he missed out in Brisbane, his form makes it very hard to keep him out of the team. His record in day/night tests is also exemplary. In four pink-ball Tests, he averages a healthy 50.63 with three half-centuries and a hundred to his name. His duel with Yasir Shah, against whom he has been dismissed seven times, is now a hot discussion and he will be eager to set the record straight in Adelaide, where he has an excellent record too. 

David Warner could not buy a run in England but has since turned a corner across formats and will go into the second Test in prime form. His 154 in the first Test in Brisbane was a high quality knock. Warner’s record in Adelaide is also excellent. He averages 54.62 at this venue in seven Tests, which includes one half-century and three tons. Not scoring in the Ashes is bound to have pinched him and now that he has a hang of the Pakistan bowlers, he will be keen on carrying on the golden run. 

Weather

The weather is expected to be mostly cloudy across the five days of the Test with chances of scattered rain on at least four of the five days of the Test. The temperature is likely to hover around the lower 20 degree range on all five days.

Suggested FanFight Team:

David Warner, Joe Burns, Babar Azam, Steve Smith (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Abbas, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc (c), Nathan Lyon