To gear up for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting December 26, Pakistan plans to have a two-day practice match against Victoria XI. This match is set for December 22-23 at Junction Oval, St. Kilda.
The Victoria XI squad for this practice game will mostly include local players without ongoing KFC BBL deals. Peter Handscomb will captain the team, featuring former Test batters Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski.
This extra match aims to help the Pakistani squad get ready and adjust before the second Test.
Victoria XI’s lineup:
- Peter Handscomb (c/wk)
- Marcus Harris
- Dylan Brasher
- Will Pucovski
- Blake Thomson
- Harry Dixon
- Sam Elliott
- Xavier Crone
- Doug Warren
- Cam McClure
- Will Parker
- Matt Fotia
Pakistan’s squad for the tour includes:
- Shan Masood (c)
- Aamir Jamal
- Abdullah Shafique
- Abrar Ahmed
- Babar Azam
- Faheem Ashraf
- Hasan Ali
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Khurram Shahzad
- Mir Hamza
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Noman Ali
- Saim Ayub
- Salman Ali Agha
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk)
- Saud Shakeel
- Shaheen Afridi
Here’s the Australia tour schedule:
- 1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium
- 2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
- 3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)