Star Australia cricketer names Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi as biggest threats in upcoming AUS vs PAK ODIs and T20Is

Allrounder Glenn Maxwell reckons that Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi will be the biggest threats to Australia in the upcoming T20I and ODI series. Maxwell stated that Pakistan have world-class players in their ranks and will put up a challenge to the home side.

Australia will host Pakistan for a three-match T20I and a three-match ODI series in the month of November. The white-ball series is looked at as a highly anticipated one as Pakistan will go into the tour with a new captain after Babar Azam has resigned from captaincy.

The new Pakistan captain in ODI and T20I cricket has not been appointed yet and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to announce it soon. It will be a big test for the tourists who will be playing a strong Australian team in their own backyard.

Watch: Babar Azam makes England keeper Jamie Smith go "oh wow" with his late cut

Glenn Maxwell names Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi as biggest threats

Glenn Maxwell was speaking to reporters at the Australian Summer Festival in Melbourne. He warned Australia to be wary of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in the upcoming series. Maxwell claimed that Pakistan has world-class players in their team, who will pose a challenge.

"We definitely have to keep an eye on Babar Azam; he’s an absolute superstar. Shaheen Afridi is a wizard with the new ball up front. Pakistan has world-class players, and we’re looking forward to the challenge," Maxwell said.

The 35-year-old allrounder further spoke about the unpredictability of Pakistan that makes them such a tough international team to beat. He also mentioned that the Men in Green can be a dangerous team because of their unpredictability.

"When you play against a team like Pakistan, their unpredictability makes them so tough to compete with. We’ve had challenges against Pakistan in the past. They can be dangerous at different times because you never know what to expect from them," Maxwell added.

Pakistan's recent form

Pakistan is going through a tough phase from the last few months. The team was knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2024 after the group stage as they failed to qualify for the Super 8. They suffered a shocking defeat to the USA, which brought plenty of criticism from the country's experts and fans.

Recently, the Men in Green suffered a shocking Test series loss at home to Bangladesh as well. Currently, they are playing a three-match Test series against England under the leadership of Shan Masood.

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi's numbers in Australia

Meanwhile, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi have an excellent record in Australian conditions. Babar has played 5 ODIs in the country and scored 282 runs at an average of 56.40 and a strike rate of 82.21. Babar also boasts a good overall record against Australia. In 10 ODIs played against them, he has scored 606 runs at an average of 67.33 with 3 hundreds.

On the other hand, Shaheen Afridi has yet to play an ODI match in Australia but has played against the team before. In 4 ODIs against Australia, the left-arm quick has picked up 13 wickets at an average of 17.46.