Pakistan vs Australia 1st T20I: Pakistan choose to bowl first after winning toss

Rain delay restricts first T20 at Brisbane's Gabba to 7 overs per innings.

Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan has elected to bowl first after winning the toss in the first T20 match being played against Australia at The Gabba stadium in Brisbane.

The delay caused by the rain has rescitrcted the match to 7 overs per innings.

The toss for the opening T20I of the three-match series between Pakistan and Australia was delayed due to persistent rain.

Light drizzle has been falling in the area since last night, with more rain expected throughout the day, further complicating the situation.

As of now, the covers remain firmly placed over the pitch, with dark clouds hanging ominously over the stadium.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicts further showers starting at 1:00 PM Pakistan standard time (PST), raising doubts about the timely start of the match.

The weather conditions have left both teams and fans waiting for a break in the rain before the match can begin.

Historically, Pakistan holds a slight edge over Australia in their T20I encounters. The two teams have faced off 25 times in the format, with Pakistan winning 13 of those matches and Australia claiming victory on 11 occasions. One match between the sides ended in no result.

With both teams eager to make an impact in the opening match of the series, the weather will be the primary factor determining when the game can take place. Fans are hopeful for a timely improvement in conditions to allow the highly anticipated contest to go ahead.

Squads

Pakistan Squad: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Omair Yousuf, Irfan Khan, Agha Salman, Jahandad Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Australia squad: Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mathew Short, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.