It’s that time of year! The 2023 Boxing Day Test will kick off on Tuesday, with Pakistan out for revenge after going 1-0 down in the three-match series against Australia.
Injuries and unfriendly conditions have put the visiting side on the back foot, but perhaps a packed MCG will bring out the best in the touring team.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Preview & Betting Tips
MCG, Melbourne, Tuesday December 26th, 10:30am (AEDT)
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner
Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Nauman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi
Match Preview
As expected, Australia produced a dominant performance in the first test of this three-match series, winning by 360 runs within four days.
The victory was set up by a huge first innings score – Australia totalled 487 as David Warner silenced the critics with 164 at a strike rate of 78.
Local hero Mitch Marsh (90 off 107) was also at his powerful best, while Usman Khawaja and Travis Head topped 40.
The stars of years gone by – Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne – failed again, adding to the murmurs that the pair are struggling for form.
Fresh face Aamer Jamal was the pick of the bowlers with six wickets. Both he and Shahzad showed impressive intent and endurance on debut, which is more than you can say for a lot of previous touring quicks.
Pakistan batted patiently to occupy the crease for over 100 overs, but the consistency of Australia’s bowling attack was telling as the visitors were dismissed for 271.
Imam-ul-Haq (62) and Abdullah Shafique (42) were impressive up top, but the rest of the batters failed to fire, with every Australian bowler taking at least one wicket.
A couple of early wickets in Australia’s second dig gave Pakistan hope, but that was scuppered by the ever-reliable Usman Khawaja, who batted 190 balls for 90 to set the Aussies up for a declaration.
Marsh excelled again with 63 off 68 – his spot in the middle order appears safe now, so Cameron Green will have to wait.
Shahzad was the standout bowler with three wickets, however, a rib/abdominal injury has forced him to fly home, weakening Pakistan’s bowling stocks further ahead of this crunch clash.
Set a target of 450 in the fourth innings, Pakistan fell victim to a pitch deteriorated at rapid pace, falling for just 89 in 30 overs.
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets apiece, but it was light work for the bowlers considering the variable bounce and movement on offer.
Heading into the Boxing Day Test, Australia will almost certainly stick with the same XI, although Pakistan will be forced to make at least one change.
With Shahzad a confirmed out, a bowling replacement will be required, and I’m expecting the experienced Hasan Ali to get the nod.
Surprisingly, you can actually get better odds for Australia to win this test than before the first match, so it seems a no-brainer to back the hosts again considering their imposing home record.
Player Prop Bets
Marsh has been matched up against Sarfaraz Ahmed in this market, and it’s hard to go past the big West Australian. Marsh passed 50 in both innings in Perth, while Ahmed scored just seven runs in total. That’s enough for me.
Batsmen 1st Inns Match Bet 6 – Mitch Marsh $1.83 (Ladbrokes)
Saud Shakeel has never scored less than 22 in his short test career so far, averaging 77 in the process. Scores of 28 and 24 in the first test were decent enough to suggest that Shakeel can perform in Australian conditions, so I’m backing him to cover a relatively low line.
Saud Shakeel Over 24.5 1st Innings Runs – $1.83 (Ladbrokes)
