Australia v Pakistan: All you need to know guide

Match Facts

Who: Australia v Pakistan

When: Friday October 11, 6pm local time (Coin toss at October 12 at 12.30am AEST, first ball at 1am AEST

Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates

How to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Officials:  Vrinda Rathi, Anna Harris (standing umpires), Kim Cottin (third), Jacquline Williams (fourth)

Live scores: Australia v Pakistan match centre 

World Cup standings

Australia are the only unbeaten team in Group A, and can all but cement their semi-final berth with a win over Pakistan.

Pakistan need to win at least one, and preferably both of their remaining matches to stay in the running for semi-finals following their defeat to India in Dubai.

As a reminder, here are Australia's Group A fixtures: 

October 5: Beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

October 8: Beat New Zealand by 60 runs

October 11: v Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 12 AEDT

October 13: v India, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 14 AEDT

Possible starting XIs

Australia: Alyssa Healy (c)(wk), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt

Grace Harris came into the XI as Australia looked to add even more firepower to their line-up against New Zealand, but she unfortunately ran straight into Amelia Kerr on a roll and was bowled first ball. She could get another crack against Pakistan, or Australia might look to bring extra pace back into the attack with either Darcie Brown or Tayla Vlaeminck.

Pakistan: Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (c)(wk), Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Omaima Sohail, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab

In heartbreaking news for the Pakistan camp, captain Fatima Sana has flown home to Karachi on Thursday after her father passed away and will not play against Australia, with opener Muneeba Ali to lead in her place.

Pakistan had earlier made one change to their XI for their second game against India, after key quick Diana Baig was ruled out with a calf complaint suffered in their opening match. She was replaced in the XI by leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah, and Baig’s availability for the remainder of the tournament remains unclear.

The squads

Australia: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Players used: 12

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan

Players used: 12

How to watch

The new era for watching World Cup cricket in Australia continues.

All 23 matches of the tournament will be shown live on Amazon's Prime Video online subscription streaming service after the internet giant recently acquired the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events for the next four years. There is no free-to-air Australian broadcast of this World Cup as a result.

You can sign up to Prime Video by clicking here.

How to recap

If you can’t catch the match live, you can catch on demand highlights packages on Prime Video.

The rest of the information you need will be right here on cricket.com.au: scores, recaps, interviews and highlights will all review what took place and keep you informed on the key takeaways. 

Local knowledge

This will be Australia’s first ever game at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Six matches have now been played at the ground this tournament, and generally it has seemed an easier venue for scoring than neighbouring Sharjah.

Pakistan are more familiar with the venue, having met India there in their second game of the tournament.

Players to watch

Megan Schutt has started the tournament in rare form, and from the 7.2 overs she has bowled across Australia’s first two games she has figures of 6-15. The last time Australia played Pakistan in early 2023, she bagged a five-wicket haul at North Sydney Oval.

Muneeba Ali will step into the captaincy role against Australia. The opener will need to play a key role with the bat if Pakistan are to stay in touch with the other semi-finals contenders, and her leadership will be crucial to a group no doubt shaken by Fatima Sana's family tragedy. 

Recent form

Past 10 T20 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result 

Australia: WWWWWWWWWL

Australia started their World Cup with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka, followed by a 60-run victory over New Zealand, both in Sharjah. That continued their nine-game winning streak that included clean sweeps in their past two bilateral T20I series against New Zealand and Bangladesh. Their last defeat in the format was a historic first loss to South Africa during their multi-format series in January.

Pakistan: LWLWLLWWLL

Pakistan started their World Cup on a winning note when they defeated Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, but they could not replicate the result against India, losing by six wickets.

Last time they met

Australia hosted Pakistan in three T20Is in early 2023 when Australia won a three-game T20I series 2-0 with the third match of the series a washout. In the first of the two completed games, Megan Schutt took 5-15 as Pakistan were kept to 118. With Alyssa Healy injured, Ellyse Perry opened the batting and hit 57no off 40 as Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win.

In the second game in Hobart, Australia remarkably used nine different bowlers as they restricted Pakistan to 7-96. Beth Mooney then hit 46 as Australia reached their target in 12.4 overs.

Head-to-head

Played: 15

 

Australia wins: 13

 

Pakistan wins: 0

 

No result: 2

Rapid stats

• Australia and Pakistan have met three times previously in T20 World Cups, with Australia batting first on each occasion and winning by an average margin of 57 runs, The last time they met at the tournament was in 2018.
  
  
• Australia have won nine T20Is in a row since losing to South Africa by six wickets in January.
  
  
• Pakistan have won only four of their last 13 T20Is, and only two of those wins have come against fellow full member nations (Sri Lanka, South Africa).
  
  
• Pakistan are looking to win a second game at a single edition of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2016. They have never won more than two games at a single tournament.
  
  
• Alyssa Healy (971) is 29 runs shy of becoming the first Australia player to reach 1,000 runs scored at the women’s T20 World Cup.
  
  
• Nida Dar has scored 21 runs from sweep shots this tournament, the most of any Pakistan player and eight more than the entire Australia team combined.

Where to next?

Australia will return to Sharjah for their blockbuster final Group A showdown with India on Sunday October 13. That game kicks off at 6pm local time (1am Monday October 14 AEDT). Pakistan’s next engagement is against New Zealand in Sharjah at 2pm local time on October 12 (9pm AEDT).

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Australia's Group A fixtures

October 5: beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

October 8: Beat New Zealand by 60 runs

October 11: v Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 12 AEDT

October 13: v India, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 14 AEDT

Finals

October 17: Semi-final 1, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 18 AEDT

October 18: Semi-final 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 19 AEDT

October 20: Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 21 AEDT

For the full list of fixtures click here. All matches live and exclusive on Prime Video. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial