Although it's unclear what either team will ultimately learn from this ODI series, a rebuilt Australia team should take pride in their ability to bounce back from being outplayed in the first game to secure a decider against Pakistan in Lahore. The scoring rates have been reminiscent of the 1990s, as some ESPNcricinfo commenters noted. 200 was insufficient for Australia in the first game, but 231 was in the second.

During the first half of the innings, Josh Inglis and Cameron Green put in a lot of effort. Green, who struggled for rhythm, found satisfaction in his gritty fifty, which he acknowledged with a somewhat relieved punch of the air. Their innings gave Matt Renshaw and, more recently, 19-year-old Oli Peake a little more leeway.
While Peake's maturity was demonstrated when he did not panic at being 6 off 15 balls and managed to strike crucial late sixes, Renshaw's success has been particularly striking, continuing a strong entrance to Australia's white-ball setup since late last year.

Nathan Ellis had a career-best performance with the ball and was perfect for the slow, sticky surface. All of the spinners had a part to play, but Matt Short's three wickets fell into the bonus category. His delivery that slipped past Salman Agha's outside edge was a superb bowling move.
Before being lifted by their own petard, Pakistan's coach, Mike Hesson, defended the home surfaces the squad is playing on. Ghazi Ghori has shown a lot of promise, while Arafat Minhas appears to be a very exciting addition, both with bat and ball. However, there are still many unanswered questions. Although Shadab Khan may have muddled the waters in the long run, his 71 kept Pakistan in the game despite his persistent labour with the ball.

Although Pakistan has only lost one home bilateral ODI series since 2015, a loss in the decider on Thursday will raise doubts about their overall performance following their most recent defeat in Bangladesh.