Pakistan vs Australia Prediction & Match Preview – 2nd ODI, Lahore
Match summary
Pakistan lead Australia 1-0 going into the 2nd ODI at Gaddafi Stadium on 2 June 2026. Read form, likely XIs, pitch, weather and expected scores.
Match details
| Match | Pakistan vs Australia, 2nd ODI |
|---|---|
| Series | Australia tour of Pakistan 2026 |
| Date | 2 Jun 2026 |
| Start time | 11:30 am GMT / 4:30 pm local |
| Venue | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| Status | Played |
| Our pick | Pakistan |
| Toss pick | Pakistan |
Matches in this series
Match preview
Pakistan go into the second ODI at Lahore with a 1-0 lead after a five-wicket win in Rawalpindi. They put Australia in, bowled them out for 200 and chased the target with calm. Debutant spinner Arafat Minhas took five wickets, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf applied early pressure, and Abrar Ahmed added two wickets in the middle overs.
With the bat Babar Azam led the chase with 69 and Mohammad Ghazi Ghori made 65. Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain are expected to keep providing aggressive starts, with Babar’s experience the anchor for the home side at Gaddafi Stadium.
Australia are under pressure after losing control in the middle overs of the first game. Matt Short made 55 and Matt Renshaw 61, but Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green were both out for ducks. Josh Inglis, Green and Renshaw are central to their hopes, while Nathan Ellis (two wickets) and Adam Zampa were the best of the bowlers. Australia need to rotate strike better against spin, use the powerplay more effectively and find support for their pace attack in the death overs.
Gaddafi Stadium should offer a good batting surface with consistent bounce, especially in the powerplay when the ball comes onto the bat. Quicks may find some early movement, but scoring generally gets easier. Spinners can vary their pace in the middle overs, although turn is rarely significant. In day-night games dew can matter in the second innings and often favours the chasing team. Spin may struggle for grip later once the ball turns damp.
It is expected to be very hot and slightly humid at the 4:30 pm local start, with temperatures of about 31–34°C. Skies should be partly to mostly cloudy, with a low to moderate chance of patchy light showers. Winds will be light, and humidity may rise into the evening, increasing the chance of dew. A brief interruption is possible but a washout is not expected.
Expected scores
| Innings | Predicted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| First innings | 280–310 | – |
| Second innings | 265–295 | – |
Pakistan
Pakistan’s spin-led control and a composed chase in Rawalpindi make them the stronger side, while Australia must fix a middle-order collapse.
Toss pick: Pakistan
FAQ
What happened in the first ODI?
Pakistan won by five wickets in Rawalpindi after bowling Australia out for 200, with debutant Arafat Minhas taking five wickets.
Who should bowl first?
Dew is likely in the second innings, so bowling first looks slightly the better choice.
Which Pakistan batters should we watch?
Babar Azam, who made 69 in the first ODI, and Ghazi Ghori, who scored 65, along with openers Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain.
Probable XIs
Expected line-ups from our preview. c = captain, wk = wicketkeeper.
Pakistan
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Maaz Sadaqat
- Babar Azam
- Ghazi Ghoriwk
- Salman Agha
- Abdul Samad
- Shadab Khan
- Arafat Minhas
- Shaheen Afridic
- Haris Rauf
- Abrar Ahmed
Australia
- Matthew Short
- Alex Carey
- Josh Inglisc, wk
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Cameron Green
- Matt Renshaw
- Oliver Peake
- Nathan Ellis
- Tanveer Sangha
- Billy Stanlake
- Matthew Kuhnemann
Head-to-head
Earlier meetings of Pakistan and Australia that we covered.