Pakistan cricket team captain Shan Masood along with star batsman Babar Azam and other members of the support staff visited the Australian cricketers during their indoor training on Monday with Christmas gifts. The Pakistani cricketers had gifts for the cricketers and lollipops for the children present at the Melbourne Cricket Ground facility. The Australian cricketers were extremely happy with the heartwarming gesture and skipper Pat Cummins couldn't stop praising the effort. An adorable moment was when Usman hugged Khawaja's daughter Babar and the video of that moment went viral on social media.
Australia have named an unchanged XI for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as they look to seal the series against Pakistan, who dropped veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed.
The hosts crushed Shan Masood's side by 360 runs inside four days in the first Test in Perth, with pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all coming through unscathed.
It means that Scott Boland, who won 6-7 against England on his debut at the MCG in 2021, will miss.
“We're big fans of Scotty, I don't think that's a secret,” skipper Cummins told reporters on a wet Christmas Day.
“He's ready to go if anything happens, so I'm sure he'll play a role at some point.
Warm wishes and heartfelt gifts to the Australian players and their families at the MCG Inner Netspic.twitter.com/u43mJEpBTR
— Pakistani cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 25, 2023
“The message (to Boland) is always: 'we like what you bring, unfortunately you'll miss this one, but don't change, keep working hard and make sure you stay ready'.”
Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected on the first day of play, but this is expected to clear by Wednesday afternoon and Cummins said he was confident of a result.
“I think there will be enough time to finish the game. I don't think the weather will change anything,” he said.
“(The wicket) looks pretty good. Reasonable patch of grass, probably a bit harder and not as green as last year.”
Pakistan have been hit hard by injuries since Perth, with fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and their two leading spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali, all ruled out of the match in Melbourne.
They named a 12-man squad, dropping Sarfaraz Ahmed and speedster Faheem Ashraf.
Mohammad Nawaz will take the gloves, with Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali vying for Shahzad's place in attack, alongside veteran Shaheen Shah Afridi and impressive newcomer Aamer Jamal.
With Ahmed and Ali sidelined, Sajid Khan is their only spin option.
(With AFP inputs)
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