A decision on Afridi's inclusion is likely to be made right before the toss.

The latest news from Sharjah suggests that Shahid Afridi will play in the third ODI against Australia.

Afridi was replaced by Abdur Rehman in the 2nd ODI after a suffering a back injury but an average game from Rehman means captain Misbah-ul-Haq will have no hesitation in picking the all-rounder who has reportedly recovered.

Can a half-fit Afridi be risked for today's crucial encounter? Should Pakistan go in with the same lineup as the second ODI? Should Misbah gamble with Anwar Ali in place of the out-of-form Sohail Tanvir?

Teams and match officials for the third one-day international:

Australia (from): Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Alister McDermott, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade.

Pakistan (from): Misbahul Haq (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanveer, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL)and Ahsan Raza (PAK) Tv umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG) Match referee: Roshan Mahanama

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