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ICC Men's T20 World Cup | Semi-Final | Pakistan v Australia | Dubai | 11 Nov | Pre-match discussion

Which side will win the ICC T20 World Cup Semi-Final game between Pakistan and Australia?

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Pakistan need good start both from bat & ball,

Babar need to get us off to a flyer against Starc & Hazlewood, If we did good in 1st 6 then we can attach there 4th & 5th bowlers,

Same is with bowling, We need to take early wickets in get there middle order in early, Regular wicket takin is key against Aussies as they will keep going for there shots since they bat deep.

Pak need to dictate, play there game and not let the Aussies in, Need to be more clinical and ruthless like we were against India most of the time.
 
I think toss will win the game. One who wins the toss and field first should be declared winner already.
 
Pollack said:
I think toss will win the game. One who wins the toss and field first should be declared winner already.
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Humidity is down in Dubai this week - was also evident yesterday so not as much dew about. Let's see how it plays out
 
SpiritOf1903 said:
Asif will get a duck versus World class bowling and a Pakistan collapse is simply inevitable. Bowlers will get carted for 200+po


One of the great innings. Loved Ajmal but a huge Hussey fan so meh.
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Don't rub salt on wounds. That was heartbreaking moment. Hussey outclass ajmal with sixes.
 
Pakistan seems to be losing the intensity and passion and enjoying their time a bit too much. Such relaxed approach will not get them there. They should bring the same amount of passion and intensity as they shown against India. It will only be done if they play like cornered tigers and not world beater that they think they have already become by beating the group.
 
Devadwal said:
4 day left untill Pakistan players return ticket confirm[/QUOTE

Typical Arrogant Sour Indian Loser comment. :)) :133::133:You are probably having difficulty getting over the whopping Pakistan gave India. :)):)))The IPL bullies were given a rude awakening at the world stage. I would not be surprised if India are behind the scaring of other countries from Playing in Pakistan, but it backfired.:pkflag
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It's really difficult to say.

Australia haven't won the T20 WC even once. It is one piece of silverware they must be desperate about having

Pakistan are on a roll, having reached the semi-final without losing even a single game. They want the trophy badly too.

It will be one hell of a game. May the best team win.
 
Difficult game for us, as Australia have a world-class bowling attack which will be a step up to be fair from any team we have played in our group.

Neither India, nor New Zealand, and the three weaker sides did not have bowling attacks capable of rooting out both Rizwan and Babar in the early overs of the innings. Starc and Hazlewood are a unique threat, followed up by Cummins. Not that worried about Zampa, although he will do well if we lose 2-3 wickets in the powerplay.

Their batting has also hit form recently, so this will be a very very tough game for us.

Fingers crossed, the boys search for the same intensity they had against India and New Zealand.
 
Adam zampa will be shown his real place.
I don't think Australian bowling attack pose real threat.
They have decent bowling attack even their batting is not that good.
I m confident of Pakistan's chances against this Australian side.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Drop Hassan Ali. He’s going to cost us the game with his bowling. His batting won’t be needed because we already bat deep.

Bring Fakhar up the order and drop Rizwan down to 3.

Bring in Mohammad Wasim.
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You'd be daft to make unnecessary changes and shuffling the batting order.

Wow, i think half you guys have about the same intelligence as our Pak journalists.
 
Head to head Pakistan vs Australia in T20i

13-9 in favor of Pakistan

Pakistan batting 1st leads Australia 9-4
Pakistan batting 2nd Australia leads 5-4

Head to head at Dubai against Australia 4-2 in favor of Pakistan with 1 tied. Pakistan won the super over so you can say it's 5-2 at Dubai against Australia.
 
Kraetoz said:
Head to head Pakistan vs Australia in T20i

13-9 in favor of Pakistan

Pakistan batting 1st leads Australia 9-4
Pakistan batting 2nd Australia leads 5-4

Head to head at Dubai against Australia 4-2 in favor of Pakistan with 1 tied. Pakistan won the super over so you can say it's 5-2 at Dubai against Australia.
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In T20 world cups
Pakistan leads 3-2
 
MenInG said:
Pakistan batsmen will not be able to handle the pace - that's my worry!
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I actually think the likes of Babar and Rizwan will enjoy the pace... it will only become dangerous if they find swing and/or seam but even that shouldn't last long
 
jawwada said:
Pakistan seems to be losing the intensity and passion and enjoying their time a bit too much. Such relaxed approach will not get them there. They should bring the same amount of passion and intensity as they shown against India. It will only be done if they play like cornered tigers and not world beater that they think they have already become by beating the group.
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Watching that game again it was bowling with menace which has badly tailed off since.
 
Some fans are really underate Australian team this time around, this is still a strong time and can beat us if we don't play top level cricket. People need to give Zampa credit too, he can be handy in these conditions, Australia to have a strong attack. Pakistan can win but it won't be easy. Let's pray for a Pakistan win
In semi finals it's anyone's game
 
Kraetoz said:
Head to head Pakistan vs Australia in T20i

13-9 in favor of Pakistan

Pakistan batting 1st leads Australia 9-4
Pakistan batting 2nd Australia leads 5-4

Head to head at Dubai against Australia 4-2 in favor of Pakistan with 1 tied. Pakistan won the super over so you can say it's 5-2 at Dubai against Australia.
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At the Dubai Intl Stadium Pak and Aus have clashed 7 times with 6 times being night games, of those 4 games Pak has beaten Australia when they put a score about 150 on the board batting first. Pakistan's the best chance if they bat first is to place 160-170 on the board which in my view will be a winning total. In an ideal world i would like Nawaz on the team but i reckon making unnecessary changes at this point will be non-sensical.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
At the Dubai Intl Stadium Pak and Aus have clashed 7 times with 6 times being night games, of those 4 games Pak has beaten Australia when they put a score about 150 on the board batting first. Pakistan's the best chance if they bat first is to place 160-170 on the board which in my view will be a winning total. In an ideal world i would like Nawaz on the team but i reckon making unnecessary changes at this point will be non-sensical.
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Good analysis. Yes unnecessary changes at this point isn't required. I think losing the toss and batting first would be blessing in disguise for Pakistan considering they dominate Australians while batting first at Dubai. Plus Pakistan has pinch hitters at back end. They can easily score 160 minimum while batting first and in a knock out it puts added pressure on the team batting second dew or no dew.

Because i am sure whoever wins the toss would like to bowl first.
 
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Usman Chadda said:
Fingers crossed, the boys search for the same intensity they had against India and New Zealand.
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jawwada said:
Pakistan seems to be losing the intensity and passion and enjoying their time a bit too much. Such relaxed approach will not get them there. They should bring the same amount of passion and intensity as they shown against India. It will only be done if they play like cornered tigers and not world beater that they think they have already become by beating the group.
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The one thing going for Pakistan is Babar Azam as leader. His dressing room speech after the India game was amazing. Loved the way he literally was saying "please" let's not relax - you could already see a couple of players lounging around, as if, job done.

Fingers crossed, his team lets him down in the upcoming game

:Dah
 
It will be interesting if Australia wins the toss, fields first, and wins the game. I want to see the reactions of those fans that discredited the influence of the toss.
 
Australia has more weak links than Pakistan in my opinion. And playing in these conditions suit Pakistan much more than Australia. With 5 wins out of 5 Pakistan team will be riding high with confidence and will take 150% effort from Aussies to cross the line unless Pakistan takes too much pressure and make mistakes like run outs, drop catches or no-balls.

Australia certainly lack a quality 5th bowler who can prove costly if we are playing with low 150-165 totals. Batsmen are not firing all cylinders from Aussies as well.
 
Kraetoz said:
Good analysis. Yes unnecessary changes at this point isn't required. I think losing the toss and batting first would be blessing in disguise for Pakistan considering they dominate Australians while batting first at Dubai. Plus Pakistan has pinch hitters at back end. They can easily score 160 minimum while batting first and in a knock out it puts added pressure on the team batting second dew or no dew.

Because i am sure whoever wins the toss would like to bowl first.
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Thanks bhai.

It's anybody's game but at this point you'd say it's Pakistan's game to lose. Australia when pressured against good bowling attacks have found it hard such as South Africa and England. Pakistan can make them crumble, dew is slowly becoming a non-existent factor but i reckon Pakistan can make Australia dance with the likes of Imad Wasim.

In my humble view besides Finch/Warner/Maxwell the Aussie batting line up is pretty non-existent. Only reason i pledge for another spinner is because that Aussie middle/lower middle order will find it tough against someone like a Nawaz.
 
This game could go either way. If anything I give Pakistan the slight edge. One thing is for certain, if we bat second and the Aussies have a sizable total on the board, we will have to be more proactive in the powerplay. We can't afford to play out too many dots.
 
I think most of the posters here grew up watching the Aussies of the 90s and 2000s so we have this big boogie man in our minds when it comes to Australia. This Aussie side cannot even polish the shoes of the Aussie sides of yester years. Furthermore they are playing the same names that have been playing for the last 5-7 years which kind of indicates a lack of good enough fresh talent coming through.

Dismiss Warner and Finch early and they will fold. Also Starc is having a torrid tournament, have to watch out for Hazzlewood other than that the rest of the Australia bowling attack can be easily negotiated. If truth be told NZ had a more well rounded and dangerous bowling attack and we tamed them quite easily in the end.
 
Colorblind Genius said:
I mean, look who is talking?

Gave you guys the drubbing of your lifetime, wasn't that bigger of a history "dodging" event?
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That's history now, as are the 29 years of emotional scarring :rabada2

Now the future beckons Pakistan. Can they step up. Or will they choke?

You must agree though, that was a sensational final over that Hussey pulled off vs the best spinner in the world at the time.

Wonder if there will be a similar exciting game this time around....

Can Pakistan at least put up a fight like they did in that glorious match :ajmal
 
pillionrider said:
That's history now, as are the 29 years of emotional scarring :rabada2

Now the future beckons Pakistan. Can they step up. Or will they choke?

You must agree though, that was a sensational final over that Hussey pulled off vs the best spinner in the world at the time.

Wonder if there will be a similar exciting game this time around....

Can Pakistan at least put up a fight like they did in that glorious match :ajmal
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Think you are taking this very badly - suggest calm down a bit.
 
Uzi said:
This game could go either way. If anything I give Pakistan the slight edge. One thing is for certain, if we bat second and the Aussies have a sizable total on the board, we will have to be more proactive in the powerplay. We can't afford to play out too many dots.
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Pak batting second has much higher of a chance to win, as compared to Pak bowling second in dew ESPECIALLY with an unchanged playing XI.

And to counter that scenario, we MUST include Nawaz and/or Haider in the playing squad. The goal is to increase our chances of putting a large total on the board if we bowl in dew.

Strengthening the batting line will also help us if we are chasing a larger total in the second innings. It looks like a win win strategy.
 
I'd love to face eng,saf,nz in KO over aus anytime, anyday. Aus always bring their A game in KO games.. Em really worried abt this game tbh. Their pace attack is too hot to handle for our batters. Only babar is well equipped (n fakhar to some extent) to face such sheer pace. If we somehow win this, the tourney is ours IA.
 
India bowled 12 overs of spin vs Namibia at the same venue Dubai as the Aus-Pak SF game.
We should seriously consider bringing in Nawaz for Hasan Ali for many reasons. Hasan Ali is bowling no balls and is going for many runs in every game. Aus players are better vs fast bowling especially medium pace like Hasan Ali. Moreover Nawaz is an all rounder and a better batsman than Hasan Ali and is also a leftie batsman.
 
I'm guessing the semi final matches will have new pitches?
 
So far in this thread we gave learnt that Pakistan need to make changes in batting order, 5 players need to be replaced, Pakistan won’t be able to handle pace or spin, Smith, Warner, Finch and 3 others will bat Pakistan out of the game and to top it all, Pakistan will have no chance in a knockout against the Aussies.

Gosh I love Pakpassion.

I just hope Pakistan performs consistently strong for atleast 2 years so this underdog mindset (cornered tiger) goes away and the threads change to how they read when Pakistan are facing Scotland.

For what its worth, I don’t think changes in personnel are needed but changes in plans to adapt to Aussies are definitely in order.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Thanks bhai.

It's anybody's game but at this point you'd say it's Pakistan's game to lose. Australia when pressured against good bowling attacks have found it hard such as South Africa and England. Pakistan can make them crumble, dew is slowly becoming a non-existent factor but i reckon Pakistan can make Australia dance with the likes of Imad Wasim.

In my humble view besides Finch/Warner/Maxwell the Aussie batting line up is pretty non-existent. Only reason i pledge for another spinner is because that Aussie middle/lower middle order will find it tough against someone like a Nawaz.
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Lots of good points again. Exactly Imad Wasim would be key here. This match is pretty evenly balanced. I would give Pakistan a slight advantage just because of how Shoaib Malik and Hafeez have also been chipping in nicely with Asif being the x Factor.

Otherwise it's just the battle between Babar/Rizwan vs Finch/Warner.

And i would say Fakhar Zaman evens it out with Glenn Maxwell. Both can wreck havoc on their day but they rarely do that.

Hassan Ali has been the weak link through out. But i would say just let it be. Should have a bowler like hassan always in the team who opposition likes to target. The bowlers who are usually expensive but do get break throughs because the batsman take more risks against them.

But i would really like to know your opinion if we should bat first? All the stats and Head to Head suggest that its a no brainer that Pakistan should bat first for a better chance. What do you think?
 
Shoaibbtt said:
You'd be daft to make unnecessary changes and shuffling the batting order.

Wow, i think half you guys have about the same intelligence as our Pak journalists.
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Salam bro, weren’t you the one that was against the selection of Malik? How’s that going for you?🤪

Kinda rude to be questioning ones intelligence, but never mind. If you’re happy with 2 openers striking at mid 120’s whilst the rest are going at 140+ then enjoy the show.
 
Looking at some of these comments, no wonder why we have so many Misbah fans. The fear mongering comes from the society itself. These are dead wickets. The more the pace, the better the timing for bats unless fast bowlers vary pace WISELY. Also, these AU bolwers know themselves that pace will not work here no matter what.
Pak will need to bowl and bat smartly. I am more worried about Pak bowling than batting. If we bowled as well as have so far ( barring Hasan Ali), we will win.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Salam bro, weren’t you the one that was against the selection of Malik? How’s that going for you?��

Kinda rude to be questioning ones intelligence, but never mind. If you’re happy with 2 openers striking at mid 120’s whilst the rest are going at 140+ then enjoy the show.
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Malik has done well but we need to be encouraging youngsters and i had said before Malik blew it which he did.

Didn't really hear about your "NZ are under pressure" for the Afghanistan game. Looks to me NZ whopped Afghanistan.
 
Kraetoz said:
Lots of good points again. Exactly Imad Wasim would be key here. This match is pretty evenly balanced. I would give Pakistan a slight advantage just because of how Shoaib Malik and Hafeez have also been chipping in nicely with Asif being the x Factor.

Otherwise it's just the battle between Babar/Rizwan vs Finch/Warner.

And i would say Fakhar Zaman evens it out with Glenn Maxwell. Both can wreck havoc on their day but they rarely do that.

Hassan Ali has been the weak link through out. But i would say just let it be. Should have a bowler like hassan always in the team who opposition likes to target. The bowlers who are usually expensive but do get break throughs because the batsman take more risks against them.

But i would really like to know your opinion if we should bat first? All the stats and Head to Head suggest that its a no brainer that Pakistan should bat first for a better chance. What do you think?
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I think deep down you'd be mindful of any possible dew given it's an evening game. Ideally bowl first but if you bat target a score of 160-170.
 
The 1st thing to say is that Aussies have a pretty solid but hardly a team to lose sleep over. They will be worried about us just as much as we are worried about them.

If we bat 1st we need to get 170 because anything less requires just one Aussie to score and they will chase it down, if we bowl 1st, we need to keep them less than 165 because unlike Ind, NZ and Afg there will be real pace and i don't see the likes of AA and Malik hitting Starc and Cummins out of the park and that will put pressure on Babar and Riz to play outside their comfort zone
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Malik has done well but we need to be encouraging youngsters and i had said before Malik blew it which he did.

Didn't really hear about your "NZ are under pressure" for the Afghanistan game. Looks to me NZ whopped Afghanistan.
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Was that youngster Azam Khan? IIRC, you wanted him in the squad?

But, they were under pressure🧐 they were in a position where they could qualify or be eliminated. Afghanistan had zero chances of making it through because India were ahead of them on NRR and had a game against Namibia. And, you were saying there was pressure on Afghanistan😃
 
ChennaiFan said:
It will be interesting if Australia wins the toss, fields first, and wins the game. I want to see the reactions of those fans that discredited the influence of the toss.
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You guys have can tell your new captain to train for the tosses.
I mean really how low can you go by talking about the toss?
It's because of the toss that you made 110 runs against NZ?
And it's also because of the toss that Shaheen produced a magic opening spell? If India won the toss Bhuv would have bowled the same balls and Babar would have played them like Sharma?

I mean, respect yourself, respect your players and stop this nonsense about the toss.
 
Mobashir said:
You guys have can tell your new captain to train for the tosses.
I mean really how low can you go by talking about the toss?
It's because of the toss that you made 110 runs against NZ?
And it's also because of the toss that Shaheen produced a magic opening spell? If India won the toss Bhuv would have bowled the same balls and Babar would have played them like Sharma?

I mean, respect yourself, respect your players and stop this nonsense about the toss.
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As per these guys its because of the toss that India got humiliated and failed to pick up even a single wicket against Pakistan :sarf2


I mean the required run rate at start of our innings was about 7.5 rpo which is not steep but not a walk in the park either, still Pakistan breezed it without losing even a single wicket. Must be because of the toss I guess :inti
 
50-50 game but toss will be crucial also. Aussies slight favourites I think. Lethal bowling attack.
 
The Googly said:
50-50 game but toss will be crucial also. Aussies slight favourites I think. Lethal bowling attack.
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How on earth are the Aussies slight favs??? Did you not see how they came under pressure in their games against SA and Eng? Whenever Aus have been challenged by good bowling units they've felt the pressure unlike Pakistan who haven't really felt any pressure as of yet besides the Afghanistan game.
 
Mobashir said:
You guys have can tell your new captain to train for the tosses.
I mean really how low can you go by talking about the toss?
It's because of the toss that you made 110 runs against NZ?
And it's also because of the toss that Shaheen produced a magic opening spell? If India won the toss Bhuv would have bowled the same balls and Babar would have played them like Sharma?

I mean, respect yourself, respect your players and stop this nonsense about the toss.
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If you know the history of India-Pak matches, you would know that Pakistan have failed against way worse bowlers than Bhuvi. Even in the last 2016 T20 WC, you batted first and only
made 118 against the likes of Nehra and Raina. Hardik Freaking Pandya has a 3/8 against you in the Asia cup and him and rookie Vijay Shankar’s pies defeated you guys as recent as 2019 WC.
If you can give a pie-chucker like Kedar Jadhav six wickets at your own home, you could fail against any of our bowlers.
 
As long as we dont eat up too many dot balls in the power play then we should be fine. Babar loves pace and will destroy their pacers.

Biggest problem is the batsmen that come after the openers.

Fakhar cannot play on these slow pitches and only tries to hit big against spinners. Malik can't play pace as well, Imad is a pretender finisher, Hafeez should do well. Asif Ali is an uncertainty, not sure if he's still riding on the high of those 6's.

Australia always play their best players and try hard during world cups, this is going to be a harder battle than England in the final.
 
CricFan2012 said:
As long as we dont eat up too many dot balls in the power play then we should be fine. Babar loves pace and will destroy their pacers.

Biggest problem is the batsmen that come after the openers.

Fakhar cannot play on these slow pitches and only tries to hit big against spinners. Malik can't play pace as well, Imad is a pretender finisher, Hafeez should do well. Asif Ali is an uncertainty, not sure if he's still riding on the high of those 6's.

Australia always play their best players and try hard during world cups, this is going to be a harder battle than England in the final.
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This!

The overall analysis of your post rightly points to the holes in our batting that we have discovered during the last 4 games.
And it doesn't look like our Think Tanks and "stick with the winning combo" brigade is ready to see and address it.
 
Syed1 said:
I think most of the posters here grew up watching the Aussies of the 90s and 2000s so we have this big boogie man in our minds when it comes to Australia. This Aussie side cannot even polish the shoes of the Aussie sides of yester years. Furthermore they are playing the same names that have been playing for the last 5-7 years which kind of indicates a lack of good enough fresh talent coming through.

Dismiss Warner and Finch early and they will fold. Also Starc is having a torrid tournament, have to watch out for Hazzlewood other than that the rest of the Australia bowling attack can be easily negotiated. If truth be told NZ had a more well rounded and dangerous bowling attack and we tamed them quite easily in the end.
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Fergusen got injured late so nz went in with a extra batsman - were a bowler short in that game. Pakistan most likely would not have chased the 135 target if NZ had 5th bowler that day (milne)
 
Almost everyone here forgets that Aussies don’t play their best T20 side in bilateral series. For aussies t20 is fun but they take WCs seriously and bring their A game and team.
All the stats above are irrelevant when Aussies are playing with full strength and you have beaten an A team in the past.
Moral of the story - It will be a humdinger for Pakistan to pull this one off.
Pakistan’s biggest problem will be the short balls.
I hope Aussies don’t notice this, but Asif is a sitting duck against short balls. So far, he got one on his head one on his box (via deflection) and the third went for a six (hardly convincingly). The lesser I talk about Malik, Hafeez, Fakher the better, they have been thoroughly exposed in the past against short balls.
On the positive side, If Pakistan gets Warner, Smith and Finch in the first 8 overs - It is almost game over for Aussies.
Maxwell will fail against quality spin and i think Pakistan is bowling brilliantly in spin department
 
Pakistan 40 Australia 60. Australia has big match players plus they don’t give up under pressure pressure. Where we crumble even if 1 wicket fall. Warner and Finch are better than our top 5 combined. Maxwell is one is best all rounder, Zampa is a real deal. Stark , Hazzle and Cummins are fearsome trio. We have to give 200% plus replace Hasan with Nawaz. Aussie batsmen can play Hasan with close eyes.
 
Dingolfy said:
If you know the history of India-Pak matches, you would know that Pakistan have failed against way worse bowlers than Bhuvi. Even in the last 2016 T20 WC, you batted first and only
made 118 against the likes of Nehra and Raina. Hardik Freaking Pandya has a 3/8 against you in the Asia cup and him and rookie Vijay Shankar’s pies defeated you guys as recent as 2019 WC.
If you can give a pie-chucker like Kedar Jadhav six wickets at your own home, you could fail against any of our bowlers.
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It was due to the toss!
 
Both Pakistan and Australia are average teams. Both have not performed at a high level in this tournament so far except for Pakistan against India.

Pakistan have been riding its luck against New Zealand and Afghanistan. It was more down to Pakistan being less worse than the opposition rather than Pakistan playing excellent cricket.

Australia’s past record against Pakistan means nothing. Hardly any Pakistan player in the playing XI has faced Australia in an ICC tournament knockout match before.

Moreover, people need to stop overhyping Australia because of their past glory. Generic statements like Australia turns up in big games etc. means nothing.

Same was said about them in the 2019 World Cup before England demolished them in the semifinal.

There are no Pontings, Warnes, McGraths, Gilchrists and Haydens in this team.

I think this is a 50-50 encounter. It all depends on which average team proves to be less average on the day or punches above its weight.

I do hope Pakistan wins not because I have any admiration for this Pakistan team but because a Pakistan vs England final will be a better spectacle than an Australia vs England final.
 
^ better spectacle not because Pakistan has a better chance of beating England in the final than Australia, but because England vs Australia LOI matches are really boring in my opinion, even if they are hard fought contests.
 
Pakistan needs 10 sixes and 10 fours v Australia batting first.
That gives them
Total of 100 Runs in boundaries.

They can afford 30 dot balls.

Remaining 70 balls will generate minimum 80 odd runs

If we bat first score 175-185
Pak will win hands down.

Simple.
 
Syed1 said:
I think most of the posters here grew up watching the Aussies of the 90s and 2000s so we have this big boogie man in our minds when it comes to Australia. This Aussie side cannot even polish the shoes of the Aussie sides of yester years. Furthermore they are playing the same names that have been playing for the last 5-7 years which kind of indicates a lack of good enough fresh talent coming through.

Dismiss Warner and Finch early and they will fold. Also Starc is having a torrid tournament, have to watch out for Hazzlewood other than that the rest of the Australia bowling attack can be easily negotiated. If truth be told NZ had a more well rounded and dangerous bowling attack and we tamed them quite easily in the end.
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Exactly....
 
I am being optimistic, If i remember correctly Pak bowler did very well agaisnt Warner & finch when they last played in Dubai, Warner was tamed except for 1 game.
Keeping my finger cross, Need to be aggressive and full of confidence like we were against India,
Need a perfect game, I am sure team will be up for the fight.
Need bit of luck also. Pak all the way IA.
 
Glenn Maxwell insists the stardust from his rampant Indian Premier League campaign remains as the Australian team backs their top order muscle to floor Pakistan and give themselves a shot at Twenty20 World Cup glory.

Australia’s women adopted the mantra of playing fearless cricket in its fairytale success last year, and their male colleagues are aiming to do something similar in their semi-final in the Middle East.

In Virat Kohli's last match as T20I captain, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul led India's speedy nine-wicket chase down of Namibia to conclude their T20 World Cup campaign.

What had been shaping as a weakness leading into the tournament now was a strength for Justin Langer’s men as they recovered from a bruising loss to England to move within two wins from claiming Australia’s first men’s T20 world title.

There has been a strong correlation between the fortunes of the team and its opening pair David Warner and Aaron Finch, who, after a scratchy start, have delivered performances which have left teammates and coaches confident they are peaking when it matters most.

Though teams can live and die by the blades of their openers, Australia has bolstered its batting depth with wicketkeeper/batter Matthew Wade at seven to give their top order a licence to thrill.

It is likely to be a formula the side will stick with for the semi on Friday morning (1am AEDT) having deviated from it against England.

“For us, it’s to play with freedom, to back the fact we’ve got a really strong top order, we’re playing the extra batter, we’ve got a fair bit of batting there,” Maxwell said.

“To know we’ve barely used our five, six and seven through the tournament probably shows how good our top few have been.

“I’ve also seen teams hold wickets back to make sure they can go at the back end and give themselves the opportunity to play with freedom. For us, it’s playing with freedom at the start and really trying to make the most of the power play and putting the opposition on the back foot.”

The dominance up top means Maxwell has been confined to the back seat for much of Australia’s World Cup ride. After a red-hot run in the IPL, Maxwell has made scores of 18, six and five and was at the non-striker’s without having faced a ball in the comprehensive wins over Bangladesh and the West Indies.

It has been a few weeks since he made a big score, but Maxwell says he could not be more confident he can fire if required.

“I feel like I’ve done so much work at training, and I’ve been here for two and a bit months, I know the conditions really well,” Maxwell said.

“It doesn’t matter if I haven’t batted for a few days or what not, I feel like I’m still in that headspace of where I was in the IPL when I was hitting the ball really cleanly and feel ready to play whatever role I need to when I get out there.

“I’m certainly not fazed by a lack of time in the middle because it’s been a really nice change. It means the top order is going really well if I’m not spending much time out there, it’s been good.

“Hopefully [I’m] not required, or required for another zero not out and just stay at the other end.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...l-in-pakistan-semi-final-20211109-p597gu.html
 
Mamoon said:
Both Pakistan and Australia are average teams. Both have not performed at a high level in this tournament so far except for Pakistan against India.

Pakistan have been riding its luck against New Zealand and Afghanistan. It was more down to Pakistan being less worse than the opposition rather than Pakistan playing excellent cricket.

Australia’s past record against Pakistan means nothing. Hardly any Pakistan player in the playing XI has faced Australia in an ICC tournament knockout match before.

Moreover, people need to stop overhyping Australia because of their past glory. Generic statements like Australia turns up in big games etc. means nothing.

Same was said about them in the 2019 World Cup before England demolished them in the semifinal.

There are no Pontings, Warnes, McGraths, Gilchrists and Haydens in this team.

I think this is a 50-50 encounter. It all depends on which average team proves to be less average on the day or punches above its weight.

I do hope Pakistan wins not because I have any admiration for this Pakistan team but because a Pakistan vs England final will be a better spectacle than an Australia vs England final.
Click to expand...

I don't see anyone else lucky more than pakistan and not seen more unlucky than india and england. This is what you are saying since CT17. Everyone can clearly see your agenda. Hitting 7 sixes in 2 two matches in 19 balls is not lucky. 5 out of 5 wins in WC league matches is not luck.
 
A dead horse 'OLD" West Indies beat Australia (minus Smith ,Warner and Maxwell) 4-1. Hayden Walsh and Obed McCoy destroyed them. Pakistan definitely have better quality bowlers than these two.
 
Do you think there will be a lot of Indians in the crowd as they would have bought tickets thinking India would top the group? Or would they have sold the tickets on? With it being in Dubai, I would expect the Pakistani fans to be out in force.
 
Inswinging Yorker said:
A dead horse 'OLD" West Indies beat Australia (minus Smith ,Warner and Maxwell) 4-1. Hayden Walsh and Obed McCoy destroyed them. Pakistan definitely have better quality bowlers than these two.
Click to expand...
Smith, Warner and Maxwell make a massive difference to their team. This will be a very difficult opponent, no question about it. Starc and Hazlewood can nip out both Babar and Rizwan early, a threat we havent faced up till now.
 
The match official appointments for the semi-final stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have been announced.

The first semi-final between England and New Zealand will take place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 10 November, while the second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia will be played on Thursday, 11 November at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

The match official appointments are as follows:

10 November – England v New Zealand (18h00), Zayed Cricket Stadium – Marais Erasmus and Kumar Dharmasena (on-field), Nitin Menon (third umpire), Paul Reiffel (fourth umpire), David Boon (match referee).

11 November – Pakistan v Australia (18h00), Dubai International Stadium – Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney (on-field), Joel Wilson (third umpire), Richard Illingworth (fourth umpire), Jeff Crowe (match referee).

Appointments for the 14 November final at Dubai International Stadium will be advised once the outcome of both semi-finals are known.
 
PerfectionPersonified said:
Almost everyone here forgets that Aussies don’t play their best T20 side in bilateral series. For aussies t20 is fun but they take WCs seriously and bring their A game and team.
All the stats above are irrelevant when Aussies are playing with full strength and you have beaten an A team in the past.
Moral of the story - It will be a humdinger for Pakistan to pull this one off.
Pakistan’s biggest problem will be the short balls.
I hope Aussies don’t notice this, but Asif is a sitting duck against short balls. So far, he got one on his head one on his box (via deflection) and the third went for a six (hardly convincingly). The lesser I talk about Malik, Hafeez, Fakher the better, they have been thoroughly exposed in the past against short balls.
On the positive side, If Pakistan gets Warner, Smith and Finch in the first 8 overs - It is almost game over for Aussies.
Maxwell will fail against quality spin and i think Pakistan is bowling brilliantly in spin department
Click to expand...


Australians deploying the short ball tactic is on the cards; however, it could be a double edge sword.

First, if Hayden is alert enough and figures it out, he can take proactive action and give the players a heads up, and get them ready for it.

Second, the ploy of short ball itself in T20?
I think that could be a slippery slope as well. The boundaries in T20 are usually shorter and miss-hits, top edges etc usually land outside the boundary.

My two concerns are,
1 - Holes in our batting line that we have discovered but we won't address them because we want to blindly "stick with the winning combo", otherwise, I would bring in Haider and/or Nawaz.

The reason is, our strategy to choke the power play and then score 50 odd runs in the last 50 overs has a lot less chances to work against Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Zampa.

So if we lose the toss, and are put in to bat first, we don't have enough batting power to cope with the Aussie attack.

We need to beef up and strengthen our batting line.


Second, during our bowling innings (especially if we bowl first), my concern is that we may rip through their top n middle order but then we release our grip and some Hazlewood or Zampa end up scoring a crucial 50. Lets hope I am wrong on both counts.
 
Pakistan oozes confidence heading into its T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia on Friday in Dubai.

Key points:
Pakistan is the only unbeaten team in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup tournament in the UAE
Melbourne Stars coach David Hussey says Australia needs to play with intensity and without fear
Mitch Marsh says there are good vibes in the Australian camp and the team has momentum
Babar Azam's team is the only unbeaten side in the tournament and all five wins have been convincing, including a 10-wicket mauling of pre-tournament favourite, India.

"It's going to be rather difficult but don't discount Australia, they've got talent all the way through and if they keep playing with no fear and lots of intensity with the bat, I think they can take any team down throughout the world," said former Australian batter and current Melbourne Stars coach, David Hussey.

Australia came into the tournament off the back of T20I series losses against the West Indies and Bangladesh and with pressure mounting on coach Justin Langer.

The semi-finals of the T20 World Cup seemed a long way off.

"I thought they were going to be touch and go…the way Australia's came into the competition with no form behind them, probably low in confidence as well...full credit to Aaron Finch, Justin Langer and the players for getting us through to the semi-finals and now the real competition begins," Hussey told ABC Sport.

Hussey knows what it takes to perform at the pointy end of the T20 World Cup. When Australia lost to England in the 2010 final in Bridgetown, he top-scored with 59. It's the only time Australia has reached the final in the tournament.

"In any big game you just keep your batting intensity up, you look to score, try and hit the deep fielders as much as you possibly can and run hard to get rid of all the nervous energy that you may have.

"It gets you into the contest quicker than you normally would do.

"Semi-finals, the pressure that's provided in any big game it's a privilege to have, you embrace the pressure and if that's the case you generally come out on top."

An Australian batsman hits a lofted shot on the offside during a T20 World Cup final.

Azam's men haven't crumbled under the pressure and are comfortable in United Arab Emirates venues that have served as home grounds when other nations refused to tour Pakistan after the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team.

"Pakistan are going to be the favourites of the competition, they're chock full of talent with the bat, Babar Azam, (Mohammad) Rizwan the wicketkeeper-batsman, Mohammad Hafeez is still doing it, [and] Shoaib Malik," Hussey said.

"With the ball they're very evenly balanced with left arm [paceman] Shaheen Afridi and Melbourne Stars' own Haris Rauf and they've got some good spin as well.

"The way they've played throughout the tournament, they're just class all over the park really."

Rauf's wicket-taking form for the Stars in the Big Bash League in the 2019/2020 season led to his call-up to the national team. Hussey says Australia will also need to keep a close eye on fellow pace bowler, Afridi.

"He's an absolute superstar of a bowler, not dissimilar to when Mitchell Starc first started out playing for Australia, [he] bowls express, can bowl around the wicket, good yorkers, good bouncer, slow ball, he's at the peak of his powers at the moment.

"If Australia are to go on and beat Pakistan they'll have to play Shaheen Afridi very, very well," Hussey said.

Australia's number three batter Mitch Marsh is coming off an impressive 53 against the West Indies and is looking forward to facing the Pakistan bowlers.

"They're obviously bowling very well with a lot of confidence and there's been a bit of swing so it's gunna be a great battle, I just can't wait to rip in," said Marsh.

The all-rounder knows he'll be targeted when he's got the ball in hand.

"It seems that the Pakistan batters come hard at all bowlers … [I'm] certainly not daunted by that task.

"Love the challenge, this is why you play cricket to play against the best teams in the world in a World Cup semi-final.

"It's purely execution under pressure and if you can do that, then you'll go well," Marsh said.

An Australian batter punches a shot through the field on the off-side as West Indies fielders watch.

Hussey saw the UAE conditions first hand while working on the Kolkata Knight Riders coaching staff in the recent Indian Premier League competition.

He says while the pitches can be slow, he believes Australia will resist the temptation to select an extra spinner against Pakistan.

"Australia's strength has been their fast bowlers and their depth in batting so why would you change a winning combination?

"They're playing particularly well, everyone seems to know their roles and they seem to be enjoying each other's company too, which is half the battle for a long trip away," Hussey said.

It's a theory confirmed by Marsh.

"We're all having a lot of fun over here and I guess that mentality off the field comes out on the field … playing with a smile on our faces, be nice and calm and just enjoying it.

"We've gelled really well and I think that's really important throughout a World Cup, there's good vibes in this team right now.

"We've gained a bit of momentum going into the semi-finals and that's what you need so hopefully that can continue for us."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11...ustralia-t20-world-cup-david-hussey/100603612
 
This should be right in Hayden's alley.

He should be able to counter whatever strategy, the Australians deploy in the game.
 
I would have been terrified had they selected James Faulkner for this WC. Our batsman looked like club-level cricketers in front of him in the PSL. He performed much better than our bowlers as well.
 
Pakistan are favourites but the match could be decided either way in the first 6 overs.
 
A lot relies on our top 3, specially Babar who should do well against Aussie pacers.

Hafeez, Malik and Asif will be walking wickets against short bowls. Also, Malik and Hafeez struggled against Zampa in Aus !

Imo, If we lose early wickets, Shadab should be sent up the order cause of his stronger back foot game.

It is imperative that we only lose atmost one wicket in first 12 overs. Even if we are 80-1 after 12, we can reach 170 with wickets in hand. Starc and co are very hittable at the death in these conditions.
 
Mobashir said:
You guys have can tell your new captain to train for the tosses.
I mean really how low can you go by talking about the toss?
It's because of the toss that you made 110 runs against NZ?
And it's also because of the toss that Shaheen produced a magic opening spell? If India won the toss Bhuv would have bowled the same balls and Babar would have played them like Sharma?

I mean, respect yourself, respect your players and stop this nonsense about the toss.
Click to expand...

I have watched enough cricket games to know how the Indian team approaches batting first when dew is expected. Put in to bat by Pakistan, India went too aggressive and lost 3 wickets. Pakistan bowled and fielded well. After Surya Kumar was out, it was a survival game. 150 was not a score to defend in dewy conditions.

A similar pattern repeated in the New Zealand game.

Mindset plays a crucial role in how a team plays a game. I am curious to know how Pakistan plays batting first against a good team such as Australia. I am not saying they will bat as bad as India, but I want to see their batting approach.

The same fans who discredited the significance of the toss will change their stance once dew plays its part.
 
If AU bats first and attempted to bamboozle Pak by attacking in the power play, their demise would be similar to their game against Eng.

If AU goes to chase, Pak should aim 160-180. If Lankans can do this, Pak can do one better. The Lankans lost a wicket early. Pak should keep doing what has been working - preserve wickets. As they say, if it aint broke dont fix it. Attack the last 5 overs to average 12. Target for first 15 should be 110-120 without losing more than 3 wickets.

SL lost because of brain-dead fast bowling. Their spinners economy was about 6 and they got all 3 wickets. Pak has 3 spinners in Hafeez, Malik, and Shadab. While the darter Imad is a good mix among them. This is the game where Pak should use as much spin as possible, if they don't go for runs. Malik has not bowled fir some reason. I would sacrifice Hasan's overs if Malik can bowl. HE HAS TO if he can.

Only Eng in my opinion is the team that has potential and skill of winning regardless of batting first or second. They have the firepower even without Roy to setup stiff target and chase as well. They don't take risks in the last 5 overs only, unlike Pak.

Goodluck Pak. We can certainly beat AU. They have been beaten black and blue by Ind lately, why can't we. Go Pak.
 
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