Australia Cricket Team

With the series at stake, both teams are expected to bring their A-game to this crucial encounter.

The pitch proved to be spinner-friendly in 1st T20I, with Pakistan's spin quartet, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz-taking full advantage of the conditions.

Pakistan head into this match with a 1-0 lead after a 22-run victory in the opening game, which marked their first T20I win over Australia in over seven years.

Cummins had been included in Australia's provisional squad despite not playing competitive cricket since the Adelaide Ashes Test in mid-December.

As Pakistan celebrates its win, all eyes are on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is expected to announce its final decision on the country's participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

This series provides both teams with a valuable opportunity to acclimatize to the conditions in Lahore, where spin-friendly pitches could play a significant role.

Mitchell Marsh, along with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, are expected to miss the series opener due to their participation in the recent Big Bash League.

The match offers both teams an opportunity to fine-tune their squads and get accustomed to the conditions in Lahore, where spin-friendly surfaces could play a key role.

While Australia may be the favourites, Pakistan has proven time and again that they can rise to the occasion, making this series an exciting contest.

The timing of the World Cup works in Hazlewood's favor, as Australia's first match is against Ireland on February 11, 2026.

Healy, who has had a distinguished career, confirmed that she will not feature in the T20I matches, as the team focuses on preparations for the T20 World Cup.

Australia's victory lifted their points percentage (PCT) from 85.71 to 87.50, marking their seventh win of the current World Test Championship cycle.

Travis Head (163) struck 24 boundaries and one six in his 166-ball innings to provide Australia with a perfect platform to secure a mammoth first-innings lead in Sydney

Australia finish with 166 for 2 at stumps on Day 2, still trailing by 218 runs in the first innings

Cummins has been managing a lumbar stress reaction that first surfaced during Australia's tour of the West Indies in July

The live streaming of the Australia vs England 5th Test in the Ashes 2025-26 will be available on the JioHotstar app and website in India

While other teammates had similar incidents, such as playing golf or missing games for personal reasons, Khawaja believed he was unfairly singled out because of his race.

At 39, Khawaja made the decision to call time on his remarkable Test career, which began in 2011.

Mitchell Owen and Ben Dwarshuis have missed out on a place in the preliminary squad for the T20 World Cup.

Hazlewood, though absent from the Ashes, has resumed bowling workloads that indicate progress is trending in the right direction