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Pakistan and Australia will play their final T20 international on Sunday, February 1 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore before kicking off the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup tour in Sri Lanka and India.
For the third and final T20I, Pakistan vs Australia will be their last chance to finalize their competitive squad ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Both teams will be keen to end their World Cup preparations on a strong note in Lahore.
Pakistan are already leading 2-0 in the T20I series and they will be aiming to end the home series in style. Salman Ali Agha’s team has been dominant and the spinners have emerged as stars. Their strong rotating attack will once again lead the starting lineup.
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For Australia, the third and final T20I will be an opportunity for them to try out new combinations and batting order as they prepare for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Mitchell Marsh will be keen to help Australia avoid a T20I series sweep against Pakistan.
This article provides the likely line-ups for Pakistan and Australia in the third T20I, along with the team combinations and key players that are likely to be watched at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Pakistan vs Australia – 3rd T20I
Pakistan vs Australia – 3rd T20I
Prologue: In Your Ayubzada and Shibzada Farhan
Pakistan have found a perfect left-right combination in the upper order with young left-hand batsman Saeem Ayub and right-hand batsman Sahibzada Farhan. They are expected to continue their starting line-up in the third Pakistan vs Australia T20I in Lahore.
Syam Ayub is one of Pakistan’s most aggressive shot-makers in the powerplay and he will be keen to do just that in the final game, having already scored 63 runs at an excellent strike rate of over 190 in the first two games against the Kangaroos.
He will once again be paired with Sahibzada Farhan who is currently struggling with the bat. Farhan has scored 1 and 5 in the first two T20 games, so he will be eager to return for the final game before the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf.
Salman Ali Agha will once again lead the forward line as he is already the leading scorer in the ongoing home series against Australia with 115 runs in two games. Usman Khan, who also had a good touch with 71 runs, will share the middle-order duties with Babar Azam, who is struggling for runs.
However, the Men in Green have a solid all-around army that can step up and score for them. Faheem Ashraf, who is likely to be tested in the final game, is a handy batsman besides being an impressive pacer.
They then have experienced all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan who will play a key role in their quest for a historic whitewash against Australia. Shadab is in particularly impressive form, scoring 29 runs in the series at a strike rate of 120.83 and taking 4 wickets at a strike rate of 12.75. Nawaz also scored 24 runs and took two wickets.
Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
Shaheen Afridi, who was rested in the second game after a poor performance in the first game, is expected to be used with the new ball in the T20I final. Afridi and Faheem Ashraf will share the pace in the bowling department in the T20I final.
Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and leg-spinner Usman Tariq will form a lethal spin attack for Pakistan, who will also have the impressive hands of Shadab.
Abrar has been a big threat for Australia in this series. The leg-spinner has taken five wickets, almost one every 8.4 balls. Rounding out the attack will be Usman Tariq, who made an immediate impact with 2/16 in the second T20I of the series against Australia on January 31.
Pakistan team lineup: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.
Australia vs Pakistan – 3rd T20I
Opener: Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh (c)
Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh will open the batting for Australia in the third T20I in Lahore. In the last game, Marsh could only score 18 points, while Hyde only scored 27 points in two games. Their form is a big concern for Australia so they will be keen to get back to form.
Also read: PAK vs AUS Match Prediction: Who will win the 3rd T20I? Australia Pakistan Tour 2026
However, Hyde and Marsh are two of the most dangerous openers in the world who can take games away from their opponents on the power play. Their form will be key for Australia to avoid a whitewash in Pakistan ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Cameron Green, Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (week), Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Short
Cameron Green is likely to dominate Australia’s innings batting at number three. Green is Australia’s leading run-scorer in this series, scoring 71 runs in two games. Matthew Short is also expected to be named in the starting XI considering his all-round statistics and off-spin bowling.
Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly will be crucial in batting against spinners in the middle overs, while Marcus Stoinis will take on extra batting responsibility as Australia aim to restore pride in the final Test against Pakistan.
Bowlers: Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuneman
Matthew Kooneman and Adam Zampa will be key for Australia as the Lahore Stadium is expected to help the spin team. However, left-arm spinner Kooneman, who is expensive in the second T20I, could be dangerous on second-hand Lahore surfaces.
Adam Zampa was Australia’s best bowler in the series. He grabbed just 5 wickets in 8 overs, scored just 51 runs, and averaged just 10.2 as a batsman. As well as Zampa, Xavier Bartlett also holds the key.
Bartlett took 3 wickets with 26 runs and scored 44 runs in the tour of Pakistan with a strike rate of 129.41. Bartlett will share the pace bowling duties with Green and Stoinis in the final game.
Australia XI: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (centre), Cameron Green, Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (wk), Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Short, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuehneman.
