Pakistan and Australia will lock horns with each other in the second semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup at Dubai cricket stadium on Thursday. The Pakistan side has been the only team that is unbeaten in the tournament, winning five out of five games in Super 12s. In fact, Pakistan has won its last 16 T20Is in the UAE. The last time they lost was in a Super Over against England in Sharjah in November 2015.
Pakistan Captain Babar Azam is in stunning form in the tournament, scoring 264 runs at an average of 66 and a strike rate of 128.15. In the bowling department, Shaheen Afridi has been lethal with the new ball as well as in death overs. The left-arm pacer has picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 6.70. And most importantly their middle order is firing, and spinners are also in good shape as well.
Australia, on the other hand, made it to the semifinals after winning 4 wins in 5 matches in the Super 12s. The Aussies made their first semi-final of the tournament since 2012. The opening duo of David Warner and Aaron Finch has been in good touch. The pace troika of Mitchell Starc, Jos Hazlewood, Pat Cummins has been brilliant in the tournament so far and the onus would be on them, along with Adam Zampa, who has been in red hot form to restrict Pakistan to a low total/ defend the total.
Match Details
Match: Pakistan vs Australia – 2nd semi-final
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Time: 07:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network
Pitch Report
The pitch in Dubai has been a sporting one to play cricket for the time being. The track hasn’t been an absolute belter by any means. Batting second should be the way forward as all the matches have been won by the chasing teams. Dew has been a huge factor at this ground, making the toss especially important. The captain winning the toss will look to bowl first.
Probable Playing XI for Pakistan vs Australia
Pakistan
Predicted XI: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia
Predicted XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (C), Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Pakistan vs Australia Head to Head
| Tournament | Aus won | Pak won | Tied | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20 World Cup | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Overall | 23 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
Key Players
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan
Australia: David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Quotes
Aaron Finch, Australia captain:
“I think what we’ve seen over the course of the tournament is how important the powerplay is for batting and bowling. I think the stats around the middle overs and the death overs are pretty similar throughout, but the powerplay definitely holds the key. Shaheen has been in really good form for Pakistan. Yeah, so that’s going to be a crucial battle no doubt.”
Matthew Hayden, Pakistan batting consultant:
“From Pakistan cricket point of view, I feel that as a nation that loves cricket as much as it does, and as focused so heavily on cricket, and also to have tournaments including the ones that I was a part of canceled for numerous reasons, it’s never more important, and the awareness is heightened that out of this great nation we’ve got a squad of players here that are ready to perform and are ready to take on not only the semifinals but should we, inshallah, get beyond that, the finals.”
