Australia win toss, opt to bat against Pakistan in 1st Test

PERTH: Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first in the first Test of the three-match series at the Optus Stadium on Thursday. The three-match series will play a major role in deciding the position of both teams in the World Test Championship 2023-25 table.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said during the toss, "We've played a lot of cricket together and this year has been special. We play pretty well here, have a good record. An Aussie ground with pace and bounce. No secret [Nathan] is the main guy in our bowling line-up, great to have him back." 

Pakistan captain Shan Masood said at the time of the toss, "We wanted to have a bat as well. You have to put the toss aside and put in a good bowling performance. We've had some ideal preparation and some match practice. We want to play more Test cricket, it's pinnacle. We have some world class players in the side."

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w), Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad.