They didn't go to aggressive they were just outplayed from BALL 1
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ICC Men's T20 World Cup | Semi-Final | Pakistan v Australia | Dubai | 11 Nov | Pre-match discussion
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They didn't go to aggressive they were just outplayed from BALL 1
Colorblind Genius
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"India went too aggressive against Pakistan", and you say you have watched enough cricket?
lol dude, those two deliveries by Shaheen were unplayable. The one that shattered Rahul's furniture can be put on a repeat loop.
Lets give credit where due, at least for once being an Indian, show a bigger heart.
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Having bucked the trend by prioritising pace over spin on World Cup pitches that had been expected to favour the latter, Australia see no reason to change tack ahead of their biggest T20 game in almost a decade.
The Aussies' need for speed at this T20 World Cup has been justified, with Friday morning's (1am AEDT) clash with red-hot Pakistan marking their first semi-final appearance since the 2012 edition of the tournament.
Their team selection for their opening match against South Africa raised eyebrows as they opted for three genuine quicks in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and omitted spinner Ashton Agar, one of the T20I side's most reliable performers in recent years.
Leading into the tournament, Agar had played in all 24 of Australia's most recent T20Is that he had been available for and has been the side's most economical bowler (going at just 6.55) since the 2016 World T20.
That bold call meant Australia were the only side in the Super 12s (excluding Scotland and Namibia) to approach the tournament with a solitary front-line spinner (leg-spinner Adam Zampa).
Glenn Maxwell, whose off-spin has been used for just eight overs in five games, said the quality of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood (who had never played in a T20I together before this tournament) played a major a part in the change.
"We've really backed the fact we've got three high-quality quicks who can bowl at any stage during the innings," Maxwell said today.
"A lot of other teams probably use a bit more spin in the Powerplay and through the middle, whereas we back our quicks.
"That's the way we've been going about our strategy with the ball."
With the exception of the match against England when they recalled Agar in a side featuring five specialist bowlers and got thumped by eight wickets, Australia have stuck fat with the pace-heavy approach.
It is a significant alteration for a T20I outfit that had fielded two specialist spinners in their last 24 games prior to this World Cup, dating back to November 2019.
Two thirds of Australia's overs at the World Cup have been bowled by pace, the highest of the four sides now in contention for the title, though New Zealand are not far behind.
Bowling breakdown of top six T20 World Cup teams
Australia
Pace: 57 overs (66%)
Spin: 29.4 overs (33%)
Pakistan
Pace: 59 overs (59%)
Spin: 41 overs (41%)
England
Pace: 50 overs (54%)
Spin: 43.2 overs (46%)
New Zealand
Pace: 63.4 overs (65%)
Spin: 35 overs (35%)
South Africa
Pace: 52.2 overs (54%)
Spin: 45 overs (46%)
India
Pace: 50 overs (56%)
Spin: 40 overs (44%)
Fellow semi-finalists Pakistan and England have both relied on at least eight overs of spin each match and have had key overs bowled by spin-bowling allrounders Mooen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.
Australia on the other hand, have only had one match where they bowled eight overs of spin, their tournament opener against South Africa when Maxwell bowled his full complement.
Play Video
AUSvSAF: Aussie middle order holds nerve after bowler brilliance
In fact, pace has become even more important for Australia as the tournament has progressed and scores, perhaps surprisingly, have steadily increased.
Coach Justin Langer had expected the tournament to be bowler-dominated given the amount of traffic on UAE pitches which recently hosted the Indian Premier League, admitting he has been surprised by recent outcomes.
In the first 10 games of the Super 12 stage, the average score batting first was only 134.9. That average rose to 151.1 for the final 10 games of the Super 12s.
T20 World Cup - Average score batting first
Games 1-10 of Super 12s: 134.9
Games 11-20 of Super 12s: 143.4
Games 21-30 of Super 12s: 151.1
"At the start of the tournament I said our two biggest challenges were going be the conditions of the wickets … as conditions deteriorate, it usually brings teams closer together," Langer said.
"I've been fascinated about how the wickets have held up. It's been an incredible credit to the groundsmen over here, the ICC, the BCCI, it's been fantastic.
"You get to see great cricket. We've been a little surprised, but happily surprised to see how they've held together."
And Maxwell said Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood deserved credit for how they have exploited the conditions.
"The way our quicks have bowled with the new ball has been outstanding," Maxwell said.
"They've been able to get some movement out of these pitches. It's been two and a half months' worth of cricket on these pitches but they're still able to find something there and take wickets for us up-front.
"That's going to be key for us going forward. Any time you can take wickets in that Powerplay by using your best bowlers and using the right match-ups at the right time, it puts the opposition on the back foot.
"We saw that with the way England bowled to us in an earlier game. Once you take wickets in the Powerplay, it can be really hard to wrangle back that momentum."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/gle...istan-starc-hazlewood-cummins-agar/2021-11-09
The Aussies' need for speed at this T20 World Cup has been justified, with Friday morning's (1am AEDT) clash with red-hot Pakistan marking their first semi-final appearance since the 2012 edition of the tournament.
Their team selection for their opening match against South Africa raised eyebrows as they opted for three genuine quicks in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and omitted spinner Ashton Agar, one of the T20I side's most reliable performers in recent years.
Leading into the tournament, Agar had played in all 24 of Australia's most recent T20Is that he had been available for and has been the side's most economical bowler (going at just 6.55) since the 2016 World T20.
That bold call meant Australia were the only side in the Super 12s (excluding Scotland and Namibia) to approach the tournament with a solitary front-line spinner (leg-spinner Adam Zampa).
Glenn Maxwell, whose off-spin has been used for just eight overs in five games, said the quality of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood (who had never played in a T20I together before this tournament) played a major a part in the change.
"We've really backed the fact we've got three high-quality quicks who can bowl at any stage during the innings," Maxwell said today.
"A lot of other teams probably use a bit more spin in the Powerplay and through the middle, whereas we back our quicks.
"That's the way we've been going about our strategy with the ball."
With the exception of the match against England when they recalled Agar in a side featuring five specialist bowlers and got thumped by eight wickets, Australia have stuck fat with the pace-heavy approach.
It is a significant alteration for a T20I outfit that had fielded two specialist spinners in their last 24 games prior to this World Cup, dating back to November 2019.
Two thirds of Australia's overs at the World Cup have been bowled by pace, the highest of the four sides now in contention for the title, though New Zealand are not far behind.
Bowling breakdown of top six T20 World Cup teams
Australia
Pace: 57 overs (66%)
Spin: 29.4 overs (33%)
Pakistan
Pace: 59 overs (59%)
Spin: 41 overs (41%)
England
Pace: 50 overs (54%)
Spin: 43.2 overs (46%)
New Zealand
Pace: 63.4 overs (65%)
Spin: 35 overs (35%)
South Africa
Pace: 52.2 overs (54%)
Spin: 45 overs (46%)
India
Pace: 50 overs (56%)
Spin: 40 overs (44%)
Fellow semi-finalists Pakistan and England have both relied on at least eight overs of spin each match and have had key overs bowled by spin-bowling allrounders Mooen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.
Australia on the other hand, have only had one match where they bowled eight overs of spin, their tournament opener against South Africa when Maxwell bowled his full complement.
Play Video
AUSvSAF: Aussie middle order holds nerve after bowler brilliance
In fact, pace has become even more important for Australia as the tournament has progressed and scores, perhaps surprisingly, have steadily increased.
Coach Justin Langer had expected the tournament to be bowler-dominated given the amount of traffic on UAE pitches which recently hosted the Indian Premier League, admitting he has been surprised by recent outcomes.
In the first 10 games of the Super 12 stage, the average score batting first was only 134.9. That average rose to 151.1 for the final 10 games of the Super 12s.
T20 World Cup - Average score batting first
Games 1-10 of Super 12s: 134.9
Games 11-20 of Super 12s: 143.4
Games 21-30 of Super 12s: 151.1
"At the start of the tournament I said our two biggest challenges were going be the conditions of the wickets … as conditions deteriorate, it usually brings teams closer together," Langer said.
"I've been fascinated about how the wickets have held up. It's been an incredible credit to the groundsmen over here, the ICC, the BCCI, it's been fantastic.
"You get to see great cricket. We've been a little surprised, but happily surprised to see how they've held together."
And Maxwell said Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood deserved credit for how they have exploited the conditions.
"The way our quicks have bowled with the new ball has been outstanding," Maxwell said.
"They've been able to get some movement out of these pitches. It's been two and a half months' worth of cricket on these pitches but they're still able to find something there and take wickets for us up-front.
"That's going to be key for us going forward. Any time you can take wickets in that Powerplay by using your best bowlers and using the right match-ups at the right time, it puts the opposition on the back foot.
"We saw that with the way England bowled to us in an earlier game. Once you take wickets in the Powerplay, it can be really hard to wrangle back that momentum."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/gle...istan-starc-hazlewood-cummins-agar/2021-11-09
ChennaiFan
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I have no two opinions about Shaheen Afiridi’s bowling. He just bowled awesome. Rohit got out to a trap great left arm bowlers typically use. I have seen Chaminda Vaas, Wasim Akram and few others employing similar techniques.
However, next two wickets were due to too much aggression. Sure, KL got a super good ball. And KL played that delivery like the way he did because they wanted to set the tone. Same can be said for the next wicket with the way SKY got out.
After three quick wickets, India had to rebuild and they did it. However, the late acceleration never came as Pakistani bowlers, Harris Raif, and Shadab in particular bowled so well.
FYI, I speak my mind, and I do appreciate good cricket whichever team/player plays it.
In the particular post, I was emphasizing the influence of the toss and I stated what I believed. I am not taking any credit away from the Pakistan team. They deserved to win for the way they played.
Mamoon
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That is not true at all.
Both Rohit and Rahul did not get out playing aggressive strokes. Rohit couldn’t cope with the full length early on and Rahul got an unplayable ball.
India was in survival mode as soon as Rahul was dismissed. It wasn’t after the dismissal of SKY.
Kohli tried to be aggressive and even launched Shaheen for a six in his first few balls, but Pakistan’s bowling was too tight for him to play a dominant knock.
The only Indian batsman who got out to an aggressive shot was Pant, but by then, the match was already out of India’s grasp.
However, your general point about the dew factor and the importance of toss is correct. Had India bowled first, it would have been a very close game if not an Indian win.
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AUSTRALIA
Position: Second
Semi-final opponents: Pakistan
Road to the semi-finals
The final-over victory over South Africa at the start of the Super 12 stage felt like an important result at the time, and so it proved, with the five-wicket win proving pivotal.
Sri Lanka were rather comfortably dispatched in match two by Aaron Finch’s side, with David Warner and the skipper impressing with the bat.
But a crushing loss to England third up really put the pressure on Australia in the qualification race. It wasn’t just that it was an eight-wicket defeat that hurt, but that England chased down 126 with 50 balls remaining, severely impacting the net run rate situation going into the final two rounds.
Thankfully, from an Australian perspective, that NRR damage was short-lived as they bowled Bangladesh out for 73 next up. The fact that Finch, Warner and Marsh chased it down in just 38 balls more than made up for the run rate losses to England.
And another eight-wicket win over West Indies on the final day ultimately proved enough.
Qualification wasn’t confirmed even after that fourth win, with South Africa a chance of progressing if secured a win and a significant but gettable run-rate swing against England. But while the Proteas got the victory, they didn’t overturn the NRR difference, with Australia going through in second place to line up a semi-final.
Star Performers
Adam Zampa – Only Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has taken more wickets than Australia’s x-factor spinner, and Zampa’s threat – particularly through the middle overs – is a real boost to the attack. The quality of Australia’s seam attack is clear for all to see, but add in some real wicket-taking spin overs and it gives opponents something to think about. England made it clear how much of a threat Zampa is by their intent to take him down.
David Warner – 187 runs at an average of 46.75 is a much-improved return for a batter who had struggled for runs in T20 matches of late. Warner himself says that lack of runs comes from a lack of opportunities. But having him in form at the top of the order can only be a good thing for the Australians.
Position: Second
Semi-final opponents: Pakistan
Road to the semi-finals
The final-over victory over South Africa at the start of the Super 12 stage felt like an important result at the time, and so it proved, with the five-wicket win proving pivotal.
Sri Lanka were rather comfortably dispatched in match two by Aaron Finch’s side, with David Warner and the skipper impressing with the bat.
But a crushing loss to England third up really put the pressure on Australia in the qualification race. It wasn’t just that it was an eight-wicket defeat that hurt, but that England chased down 126 with 50 balls remaining, severely impacting the net run rate situation going into the final two rounds.
Thankfully, from an Australian perspective, that NRR damage was short-lived as they bowled Bangladesh out for 73 next up. The fact that Finch, Warner and Marsh chased it down in just 38 balls more than made up for the run rate losses to England.
And another eight-wicket win over West Indies on the final day ultimately proved enough.
Qualification wasn’t confirmed even after that fourth win, with South Africa a chance of progressing if secured a win and a significant but gettable run-rate swing against England. But while the Proteas got the victory, they didn’t overturn the NRR difference, with Australia going through in second place to line up a semi-final.
Star Performers
Adam Zampa – Only Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has taken more wickets than Australia’s x-factor spinner, and Zampa’s threat – particularly through the middle overs – is a real boost to the attack. The quality of Australia’s seam attack is clear for all to see, but add in some real wicket-taking spin overs and it gives opponents something to think about. England made it clear how much of a threat Zampa is by their intent to take him down.
David Warner – 187 runs at an average of 46.75 is a much-improved return for a batter who had struggled for runs in T20 matches of late. Warner himself says that lack of runs comes from a lack of opportunities. But having him in form at the top of the order can only be a good thing for the Australians.
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GROUP 2 SEMI-FINALISTS
PAKISTAN
Position: First
Semi-final opponents: Australia
Road to the semi-finals
The tone for Pakistan's campaign was set in their very first over of the competition. Shaheen Afridi had visualised getting India's top three batters out, and checked off two of those wickets in his first spell where he was near unplayable. Rohit Sharma was trapped lbw by a yorker, while KL Rahul was bowled by one coming into him. He then returned to have Virat Kohli caught behind just when the India skipper was getting ready to hit out at the death.
After a strong bowling performance to keep India to 151/7, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down the target with an unbroken opening stand.
Azam had kept emotions in check to remind fans and his team that this was just the start for Pakistan. And it gave them the perfect platform from which to take off.
Against New Zealand, after they chose to bowl, Haris Rauf bowled with pace and fire. One of his yorkers hit 149kph on the speed gun and he finished with four wickets – though curiously many of them coming with his slower variation. With the bowlers all doing their bit, Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 134/8.
This time, the chase was trickier. At 87/5 in the 15th over, New Zealand were well in the game, but Asif Ali played the finisher's role to perfection, smashing three sixes in his 12-ball 27* to seal the game.
Ali was the star of the chase against Afghanistan too. Naveen-ul-Haq had bowled an excellent 18th over, which went for just two runs, leaving Pakistan 24 to get off the last two overs. Thanks to Ali, they needed just one of those: He smashed four sixes off Karim Janat to complete a chase of 148 to seal their third win in a row.
Earlier in that game, Azam had made his second fifty of the tournament.
His third came against Namibia, with the Azam-Rizwan pair again on song. Choosing to bat this time, they played out a maiden opening over, and got to a steady 59 in 10 overs. But then they stepped on the accelerator, and how. The final 10 overs went for 130 runs, with all of Azam, Rizwan and Hafeez punishing the Namibian bowling.
To their credit, Namibia offered stern resistance but there would be no denying Azam's team the first spot in the semi-finals.
Star performers
Mohammad Rizwan – Rizwan has barely put a foot wrong for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup and he has the average to show for it - 71.33. The opening batter and star keeper has notched two half-centuries so far, with the first coming against India and the second against Namibia.
For Pakistan, only Babar Azam has scored more runs this tournament.
Shaheen Shah Afridi – Pakistan's star opening bowler has been too hot to handle throughout the tournament, with his opening spell against India (3/31) setting the tone for the brand of cricket his team has played throughout.
Dangerous with the new ball and canny at the death, if he carries on his form then Pakistan are a match for any side.
PAKISTAN
Position: First
Semi-final opponents: Australia
Road to the semi-finals
The tone for Pakistan's campaign was set in their very first over of the competition. Shaheen Afridi had visualised getting India's top three batters out, and checked off two of those wickets in his first spell where he was near unplayable. Rohit Sharma was trapped lbw by a yorker, while KL Rahul was bowled by one coming into him. He then returned to have Virat Kohli caught behind just when the India skipper was getting ready to hit out at the death.
After a strong bowling performance to keep India to 151/7, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down the target with an unbroken opening stand.
Azam had kept emotions in check to remind fans and his team that this was just the start for Pakistan. And it gave them the perfect platform from which to take off.
Against New Zealand, after they chose to bowl, Haris Rauf bowled with pace and fire. One of his yorkers hit 149kph on the speed gun and he finished with four wickets – though curiously many of them coming with his slower variation. With the bowlers all doing their bit, Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 134/8.
This time, the chase was trickier. At 87/5 in the 15th over, New Zealand were well in the game, but Asif Ali played the finisher's role to perfection, smashing three sixes in his 12-ball 27* to seal the game.
Ali was the star of the chase against Afghanistan too. Naveen-ul-Haq had bowled an excellent 18th over, which went for just two runs, leaving Pakistan 24 to get off the last two overs. Thanks to Ali, they needed just one of those: He smashed four sixes off Karim Janat to complete a chase of 148 to seal their third win in a row.
Earlier in that game, Azam had made his second fifty of the tournament.
His third came against Namibia, with the Azam-Rizwan pair again on song. Choosing to bat this time, they played out a maiden opening over, and got to a steady 59 in 10 overs. But then they stepped on the accelerator, and how. The final 10 overs went for 130 runs, with all of Azam, Rizwan and Hafeez punishing the Namibian bowling.
To their credit, Namibia offered stern resistance but there would be no denying Azam's team the first spot in the semi-finals.
Star performers
Mohammad Rizwan – Rizwan has barely put a foot wrong for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup and he has the average to show for it - 71.33. The opening batter and star keeper has notched two half-centuries so far, with the first coming against India and the second against Namibia.
For Pakistan, only Babar Azam has scored more runs this tournament.
Shaheen Shah Afridi – Pakistan's star opening bowler has been too hot to handle throughout the tournament, with his opening spell against India (3/31) setting the tone for the brand of cricket his team has played throughout.
Dangerous with the new ball and canny at the death, if he carries on his form then Pakistan are a match for any side.
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10 November - Dubai - Australia Captain Aaron Finch pre-match press conference
Q. I just wanted to ask, Pakistan has been able to get quick victories in each of their games, so do you think you and Warner would hold up against Shaheen Afridi's spell and that would be the x-factor in the match?
AARON FINCH: 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.
Q. How important do you think the toss has been in this World Cup and do you think losing the toss is a big disadvantage?
AARON FINCH: I think when it comes to finals it doesn't make too much of a difference to be honest. I believe getting runs on the board, especially in a final, can be really beneficial. We've talked about it. We're confident that we can win if we happen to bat first or second.
Q. Pakistan is doing very well in this World Cup, but as for the previous records of the ICC knockout round, competition between these two times, Australia has the edge. Do you think that is removed now and Pakistan is in a better position, and how do you see this competition with Pakistan? Secondly, do you think the spinners of Pakistan are better than Australia?
AARON FINCH: Well, I think that obviously Pakistan have been in really good form. They're 5-0 in this tournament. They've played some really good cricket throughout. I don't think you can read too much into the history. Honestly they're two different teams to what have played in the past, so you don't look too deeply into that.
In terms of the Pakistan spin, they've had some really good success obviously with Imad bowling in the powerplay predominantly and then Shadab throughout the middle overs they've been excellent. We've been really happy with how Adam Zampa has been going. He's bowled brilliantly throughout this tournament. He's taken big wickets at crucial times. He gets good players out. Maxwell has chipped in and done really well for the overs that he's bowled.
Yeah, that's just a part of what's going to come down to a really close battle, no doubt.
Q. What do you think if there is the total of the match is 160, 170? Is it good competition between both the teams, or should be a less scoring match?
AARON FINCH: I'm not sure. We haven't seen the wicket yet, so it's hard to comment on that.
Q. Maxy hinted that you'll probably keep going with the three-pronged pace attack. On the subject of pitches, are you surprised with what those three quicks have managed to get out of the pitches in the UAE, and as a result thereof will you maintain basically the same 11?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, we'll sit down and discuss the 11 this afternoon. There's no secret our quicks have done a really good job, and I think having wickets that have been used quite a bit throughout the IPL and now this tournament, I've been really surprised how well they've played. They've done a magnificent job to keep the conditions really fair, and I suppose excellent across all three venues for the Super 12s.
I think, yeah, that's been brilliant.
With the new ball, Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have been fantastic. I think you can look at stats and you can deep dive into whether you should be bowling spin or quicks in the powerplay. Sometimes it just comes down to executing your best ball on the day over and over. For us that's been Starc and Hazlewood first couple of overs generally and Cummo coming in on the back of that. We've been really happy with how they've executed and kept pressure on oppositions.
They're a world-class trio of quick bowlers and we've got Kane Richardson there, as well, who's arguably one of the best T20 bowlers in the world who hasn't featured just yet, but yeah, we're really happy with how that's gone.
Q. Will you sit down as a group and watch England v New Zealand?
AARON FINCH: I'm not sure we'll do it as a group. I think guys are pretty free to do their own thing. No doubt everyone will have an eye on it, whether it's here in the team room or individually. Yeah, it's always exciting when you get to knockout stages of any tournament.
Q. It's not often that Australia would be, I guess, classified as an underdog going into a cricket game, but do you maybe feel you are, considering Pakistan is undefeated and the way both teams came into this tournament?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, Pakistan have played brilliant cricket. I think the way that they've gone in the powerplay with the bat and ball has been really crucial to their success. I think in this format of the game, if you look over the last few series, everyone had written us off by now, so yeah, you can read into that what you like.
Q. When you do sit down to discuss that team, will there be the temptation, I suppose, to maybe recall Agar just given the amount of right-handers Pakistan has, or is that not really a consideration?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, we consider everything. We literally throw up all possible combinations of teams and match that up against Pakistan, match that up against how we want to play, as well. I think that's really important to keep in mind that it's not purely just based on what the opposition looks like, it's also about how we want to structure up our 20 overs with the ball. So yeah, everyone will be thrown into the ring, Agar, Kane Richardson, Josh Inglis, Mitch Swepson, as well. Look, it's not just about going in there and looking at stats and saying, oh, this should be the 11. It's about structuring up how we want to use our resources, as well.
It'll all be thrown up, no doubt.
Q. Just a bigger picture one, I guess some might say it might be the biggest T20 game of a lot of you guys' careers and it's a pretty experienced group across all formats. The general feeling in the team room, is this kind of the best T20 side you've led, given everyone is available and everything like that?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, it's a really good side, no doubt. We've got a lot of experience. Not so much as a team but individually we've got a lot of experience in other formats. We've played a lot of cricket together. But not so much in this T20 format. Yeah, it's a really exciting group. We feel as though we've got a lot of bases covered with the bat. We've got guys that can go big, we've got guys with power, we've got great spin options, all-round options, quicks. I love the makeup of the squad. It just comes down to the day, doesn't it, and that's what you're judged on at the end of the day.
Q. As captain, how happy are you to see David coming out of a bad moment? It was difficult for him in the IPL, runs had dried up. Now this tournament we've seen his sort of resurrection. As far as his mental space is concerned and from a captain's perspective, how happy are you to see him coming back to the groove?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I was never worried one bit about Dave's form. He's one of the all-time great batsmen of our era. I think you can look at it as though he had a really lean IPL and then the start of this tournament, but the two halves of the IPL were a long way apart, so if you miss out a couple of times at the end of the first part, which was in India, and then the first couple of games in Dubai, it looks as though a run of form is a pattern there, but I certainly wasn't worried. He's all class; he's trained hard; he's mentally fresh; he's ready to go.
It's great to see the best of him fit and firing. As we all know, it's a great sight when he's up and about and scoring runs for Australia.
Q. Before you said you made a little tricky reference to people sort of writing you off. I know at the time the last couple of weeks you said probably the outside noise doesn't really get in, but now that maybe you've exceeded some expectations, do you feel like you have proved the people wrong, and was that maybe a bit of a motivating factor at the start of the tournament and in your form turnaround?
AARON FINCH: No, we didn't speak about it at all to be honest. It's just one of those things that in the lead-up to the tournament you tend to hear things or see the odd quote or comment that people have written you off. It's interesting how the narrative can change really quick. About 10 days ago our team was too old and now we're an experienced team. That's just how it all gets portrayed. From day one I've had a real lot of confidence in the way that we've gone about this with the squad that we've got. I don't think that we've exceeded our expectations whatsoever. We came here with a really clear plan to win this tournament, and we're still alive to do that.
Q. Quickly if I can, you've been around obviously the white ball setup for so long. Is it time the coaching roles or the support roles are split up in terms of -- not talking about anyone individually in terms of Justin Langer, but do you need someone as a T20 coach who heads it up and then that person can take care of that alone, or do you think it's too big a job for one person now?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I'm not too sure. I think it probably depends on what the head coach wants at the end of the day, because over the next couple of years with a lot of tours to be made up and a lot of games that need to be fitted back into the future tours program with the ones that were missed in the heart of COVID there, I think there will probably be a little bit of a crossover of formats again like we saw what was planned with the South Africa and New Zealand series.
I think that down the track that that's something -- if they keep crossing over that that'll have to be thought out, but as it stands at the moment, I think it's going okay. There might be some questions once those tours start to become really condensed and back up with each other, that support staff, players, coaches, team managers, physios, everyone will need a bit of a chop-out, and to be able to get out of these bubbles that we're in at the moment. I think just over the next two or three months that'll probably be a little bit clearer.
Q. Just a question about -- I suppose your own time as captain, the fact that it's a World Cup semifinal, a chance to vie for a trophy. There's obviously a World Cup in Australia next year. How big does this loom in, I suppose, what you've wanted to achieve as a leader?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I'm really happy with how it's all built up. I think one thing I'm really proud of is how we've started to uncover a little bit more depth in T20 cricket in Australia, and that's probably come on the back of, like I said, that tour to New Zealand in particular that was going to cross over with the South African Test. Some guys who mightn't have got an opportunity in the past if everyone was available, they got a good opportunity to test themselves in international cricket.
So I think that holds us in good stead down the track. Then we go to the West Indies and Bangladesh with some guys who rested from that series which then gave a little bit more opportunity to some guys, as well.
I think in the long run, over the next two or three years, this period of Australian cricket will help us uncover more talent and more depth, especially in the white ball format. That's something I'm really proud of.
Although the results previous to this World Cup hadn't gone our way a huge amount, there was so much learning that we got out of that.
Q. Obviously there was that sort of issue against England where you lost early wickets, you had Maxy come in quite early against a new ball. Has your thinking developed any further there whereby say if you're three down he comes in after the powerplay regardless, or are you thinking the same way?
AARON FINCH: No, well, that was the plan from the start of the tournament to be honest. The only change with the England game is that we went in with six specialist batters instead of the seven which we've used in the other four games. But that left us with a decision to make whether Maxy went in in the powerplay or we held him back. We felt as though for us to win that game, you've got to throw all your aces up front when you've only got six batters.
It didn't work that day, but that's okay, we've learnt our lesson from that and we're still here in the semifinal to push on.
Q. Just to clarify that, so if you play seven batters he would be held back until over seven plus?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, generally. I think that's a pretty common theme with Maxy's role in our team and other teams he's played, and he's someone who plays spin really well through the middle. He can be really dominant with five fielders out from ball one, which is an amazing skill. Yeah, that's obviously what we've done in the previous parts of this tournament.
Q. Big picture how would you describe the enormity of winning this tournament I suppose in the context of Australia having never won it but also what's happened in the past 18 months? The players were quite well set Feb 2020 and COVID has disrupted the host country, the date, the lead-up series, the rankings side and all that?
AARON FINCH: Oh, not too fussed with the ranking slide to be honest. Like I said, we've played a lot of overseas tours. We've learned a lot out of them tours, as well, which has been a really important part of the growth of not just this team but the depth of T20 cricket in particular in Australia.
Yeah, it would mean a lot to win it, but we've still got a semifinal to focus on first, and coming up against a very, very good and informed Pakistan, so it'll be a great challenge. I think that'll really test us to see where we are in the world.
Q. You talked a bit earlier about Adam Zampa. Do you get the sense he's gone to another level at this World Cup? Everyone has seen what he's done the last few years, but to perform the way he has often as the sole frontline spinner at a big tournament, what's stood out from your perspective, and did you get a sense maybe that some teams had even underrated him at the start of the tournament?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I don't think that anyone has underrated him. He's been a wonderful bowler for a few years now in the white ball formats for Australia. He's someone who loves the competitiveness or loves the fight. Being a spinner, you obviously cop some tap at times, but his attitude along with Ash Agar, Mitch Swepson, they've been working really closely, Maxy, as well. They work so closely, they're a tight-knit group that they're continually learning from each other. I think Zamps' biggest strength over his career is that he's been able to get good players out on good wickets consistently, and that's a great skill to have.
Yeah, he hasn't surprised any of us one bit. We've seen how good he is, but it just comes down to him being a really good bowler. There's nothing more to it than that. His confidence is high at the moment, and bowling nicely.
Q. My question for you is in T20 cricket we talk a lot about momentum, and Australia has gained some momentum after losing to England, so in your opinion how important is the momentum against a Pakistan team which has won all of its matches in the group stage and also Marsh on how crucial he has been for you guys at No. 3?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I don't think that momentum is something that really goes over -- in a tournament like this, I don't think it carries over a huge amount because you're playing a totally different opposition, different conditions. It's going to be a different wicket again. I don't think you can read too much into anything like that.
One thing that -- all you can control is your process and your planning, and we've been doing that really well. We've got confidence in that. Like I've said before, Pakistan are playing really good cricket, so it'll be a great test.
And in terms of Mitchell Marsh, he's been excellent for us. His ability to bat at No. 3 and be really aggressive and take the game on has been really pleasing. The overs that he bowled the other day against a really dominating West Indies batting lineup were really crucial in dragging that score down to 160. He's someone who works hard on his bowling, and yeah, he's a huge asset for our team.
Q. Do you think going into a semifinal it's any advantage that you guys have been playing must-win cricket for the last two group games?
AARON FINCH: Oh, I don't think it makes too much difference to be honest. In a tournament with the format thing, straight to semifinals and a final, you know that you're on the tightrope from day one, and that first game against South Africa could have gone either way. We got over the line there in a really close one. We've played some really good cricket towards the back end after that England game.
I don't think it makes too much difference, to be honest. Pakistan have been excellent, particularly in like the start of this tournament, to build their bank, so to speak. Yeah, not too much.
Q. I don't know if you're aware, but you're 25 runs away from 10,000 in T20. I know winning is your focus this week, but on a personal level, longevity, consistency in this format, is that something that leaves you quite proud?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I didn't know that. That's nice. Be nice to tick it off. But yeah, I don't really play for personal stuff to be honest. That's a side piece.
My greatest memories are going to be winning tournaments, winning a World Cup for Australia. It's not about getting a hundred or doing something special individually. I would rather get a duck and win than a hundred and lose. Them personal things don't play on my mind one bit. Yeah, it's just purely down to business of trying to win this first game against Pakistan.
Q. Just wondering about Matthew Hayden. What's it like to know that you're going to come up against a fellow Aussie on that side, and have you seen him around at all or do you sort of stick to your own camp there?
AARON FINCH: We saw him around yesterday actually. I think Pakistan moved into the hotel yesterday. Yeah, saw him around. I think it's great to see the greats of Australian cricket crossing over into other countries and helping out as much as they can. I think we've got a rich history of great players helping our countries in terms of franchise cricket. So yeah, that's brilliant.
Q. When you select the squad, your 11 for the T20, will you go according to the man-to-man marking or the forms of the players?
AARON FINCH: No, we structured -- either way. We obviously look at the opposition and their strengths and weaknesses and what resources we have got to match up against that, but we also have to look at what we do really well and stay true to that. I think if we get seduced into looking purely only at matchups, then you probably go away from your own strengths quite a bit.
Yeah, it's a bit of give and take. You take all the information in and make a judgment call there, but yeah, you've got to look after your own backyard first.
Q. Just to pick up on talking about the balance of the side, which I guess has been a theme throughout, just maybe compare this to previous T20 World Cups when Shane Watson has always been in the side. Can you talk about the challenge of those decisions around balance for you as captain, especially without someone who's maybe quite as much of a genuine allrounder in the way Watson was at his peak?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, that can be a tough balancing act. I think the fact that we've got the three allrounders in Maxwell, Marsh and Stoinis, to bowl them four overs has been really beneficial for us. We know how good Maxy can be in the powerplay but also through the middle overs when the matchups are right. That's given us a lot of confidence to be able to go in with the four specialist bowlers plus the allrounder.
That's probably something that we've wrestled with in the past. Mitch Marsh's bowling has been excellent over the past couple of series and against West Indies the other day. I don't think Stoin has bowled yet in this tournament, but he's had some really good success, particularly toward the back end of the innings, as well.
Yeah, it obviously makes it a really tough decision, but having them allrounders there, especially ones who offer so much flexibility to the side with Mitch batting at 3, Maxy can be that floater anywhere from sort of No. 3 down to No. 5 or 6 and Stoin with his real power game towards the middle and back-end overs, it does give us a lot of flexibility with the selection.
Q. I just wanted to ask, Pakistan has been able to get quick victories in each of their games, so do you think you and Warner would hold up against Shaheen Afridi's spell and that would be the x-factor in the match?
AARON FINCH: 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.
Q. How important do you think the toss has been in this World Cup and do you think losing the toss is a big disadvantage?
AARON FINCH: I think when it comes to finals it doesn't make too much of a difference to be honest. I believe getting runs on the board, especially in a final, can be really beneficial. We've talked about it. We're confident that we can win if we happen to bat first or second.
Q. Pakistan is doing very well in this World Cup, but as for the previous records of the ICC knockout round, competition between these two times, Australia has the edge. Do you think that is removed now and Pakistan is in a better position, and how do you see this competition with Pakistan? Secondly, do you think the spinners of Pakistan are better than Australia?
AARON FINCH: Well, I think that obviously Pakistan have been in really good form. They're 5-0 in this tournament. They've played some really good cricket throughout. I don't think you can read too much into the history. Honestly they're two different teams to what have played in the past, so you don't look too deeply into that.
In terms of the Pakistan spin, they've had some really good success obviously with Imad bowling in the powerplay predominantly and then Shadab throughout the middle overs they've been excellent. We've been really happy with how Adam Zampa has been going. He's bowled brilliantly throughout this tournament. He's taken big wickets at crucial times. He gets good players out. Maxwell has chipped in and done really well for the overs that he's bowled.
Yeah, that's just a part of what's going to come down to a really close battle, no doubt.
Q. What do you think if there is the total of the match is 160, 170? Is it good competition between both the teams, or should be a less scoring match?
AARON FINCH: I'm not sure. We haven't seen the wicket yet, so it's hard to comment on that.
Q. Maxy hinted that you'll probably keep going with the three-pronged pace attack. On the subject of pitches, are you surprised with what those three quicks have managed to get out of the pitches in the UAE, and as a result thereof will you maintain basically the same 11?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, we'll sit down and discuss the 11 this afternoon. There's no secret our quicks have done a really good job, and I think having wickets that have been used quite a bit throughout the IPL and now this tournament, I've been really surprised how well they've played. They've done a magnificent job to keep the conditions really fair, and I suppose excellent across all three venues for the Super 12s.
I think, yeah, that's been brilliant.
With the new ball, Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have been fantastic. I think you can look at stats and you can deep dive into whether you should be bowling spin or quicks in the powerplay. Sometimes it just comes down to executing your best ball on the day over and over. For us that's been Starc and Hazlewood first couple of overs generally and Cummo coming in on the back of that. We've been really happy with how they've executed and kept pressure on oppositions.
They're a world-class trio of quick bowlers and we've got Kane Richardson there, as well, who's arguably one of the best T20 bowlers in the world who hasn't featured just yet, but yeah, we're really happy with how that's gone.
Q. Will you sit down as a group and watch England v New Zealand?
AARON FINCH: I'm not sure we'll do it as a group. I think guys are pretty free to do their own thing. No doubt everyone will have an eye on it, whether it's here in the team room or individually. Yeah, it's always exciting when you get to knockout stages of any tournament.
Q. It's not often that Australia would be, I guess, classified as an underdog going into a cricket game, but do you maybe feel you are, considering Pakistan is undefeated and the way both teams came into this tournament?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, Pakistan have played brilliant cricket. I think the way that they've gone in the powerplay with the bat and ball has been really crucial to their success. I think in this format of the game, if you look over the last few series, everyone had written us off by now, so yeah, you can read into that what you like.
Q. When you do sit down to discuss that team, will there be the temptation, I suppose, to maybe recall Agar just given the amount of right-handers Pakistan has, or is that not really a consideration?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, we consider everything. We literally throw up all possible combinations of teams and match that up against Pakistan, match that up against how we want to play, as well. I think that's really important to keep in mind that it's not purely just based on what the opposition looks like, it's also about how we want to structure up our 20 overs with the ball. So yeah, everyone will be thrown into the ring, Agar, Kane Richardson, Josh Inglis, Mitch Swepson, as well. Look, it's not just about going in there and looking at stats and saying, oh, this should be the 11. It's about structuring up how we want to use our resources, as well.
It'll all be thrown up, no doubt.
Q. Just a bigger picture one, I guess some might say it might be the biggest T20 game of a lot of you guys' careers and it's a pretty experienced group across all formats. The general feeling in the team room, is this kind of the best T20 side you've led, given everyone is available and everything like that?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, it's a really good side, no doubt. We've got a lot of experience. Not so much as a team but individually we've got a lot of experience in other formats. We've played a lot of cricket together. But not so much in this T20 format. Yeah, it's a really exciting group. We feel as though we've got a lot of bases covered with the bat. We've got guys that can go big, we've got guys with power, we've got great spin options, all-round options, quicks. I love the makeup of the squad. It just comes down to the day, doesn't it, and that's what you're judged on at the end of the day.
Q. As captain, how happy are you to see David coming out of a bad moment? It was difficult for him in the IPL, runs had dried up. Now this tournament we've seen his sort of resurrection. As far as his mental space is concerned and from a captain's perspective, how happy are you to see him coming back to the groove?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I was never worried one bit about Dave's form. He's one of the all-time great batsmen of our era. I think you can look at it as though he had a really lean IPL and then the start of this tournament, but the two halves of the IPL were a long way apart, so if you miss out a couple of times at the end of the first part, which was in India, and then the first couple of games in Dubai, it looks as though a run of form is a pattern there, but I certainly wasn't worried. He's all class; he's trained hard; he's mentally fresh; he's ready to go.
It's great to see the best of him fit and firing. As we all know, it's a great sight when he's up and about and scoring runs for Australia.
Q. Before you said you made a little tricky reference to people sort of writing you off. I know at the time the last couple of weeks you said probably the outside noise doesn't really get in, but now that maybe you've exceeded some expectations, do you feel like you have proved the people wrong, and was that maybe a bit of a motivating factor at the start of the tournament and in your form turnaround?
AARON FINCH: No, we didn't speak about it at all to be honest. It's just one of those things that in the lead-up to the tournament you tend to hear things or see the odd quote or comment that people have written you off. It's interesting how the narrative can change really quick. About 10 days ago our team was too old and now we're an experienced team. That's just how it all gets portrayed. From day one I've had a real lot of confidence in the way that we've gone about this with the squad that we've got. I don't think that we've exceeded our expectations whatsoever. We came here with a really clear plan to win this tournament, and we're still alive to do that.
Q. Quickly if I can, you've been around obviously the white ball setup for so long. Is it time the coaching roles or the support roles are split up in terms of -- not talking about anyone individually in terms of Justin Langer, but do you need someone as a T20 coach who heads it up and then that person can take care of that alone, or do you think it's too big a job for one person now?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I'm not too sure. I think it probably depends on what the head coach wants at the end of the day, because over the next couple of years with a lot of tours to be made up and a lot of games that need to be fitted back into the future tours program with the ones that were missed in the heart of COVID there, I think there will probably be a little bit of a crossover of formats again like we saw what was planned with the South Africa and New Zealand series.
I think that down the track that that's something -- if they keep crossing over that that'll have to be thought out, but as it stands at the moment, I think it's going okay. There might be some questions once those tours start to become really condensed and back up with each other, that support staff, players, coaches, team managers, physios, everyone will need a bit of a chop-out, and to be able to get out of these bubbles that we're in at the moment. I think just over the next two or three months that'll probably be a little bit clearer.
Q. Just a question about -- I suppose your own time as captain, the fact that it's a World Cup semifinal, a chance to vie for a trophy. There's obviously a World Cup in Australia next year. How big does this loom in, I suppose, what you've wanted to achieve as a leader?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I'm really happy with how it's all built up. I think one thing I'm really proud of is how we've started to uncover a little bit more depth in T20 cricket in Australia, and that's probably come on the back of, like I said, that tour to New Zealand in particular that was going to cross over with the South African Test. Some guys who mightn't have got an opportunity in the past if everyone was available, they got a good opportunity to test themselves in international cricket.
So I think that holds us in good stead down the track. Then we go to the West Indies and Bangladesh with some guys who rested from that series which then gave a little bit more opportunity to some guys, as well.
I think in the long run, over the next two or three years, this period of Australian cricket will help us uncover more talent and more depth, especially in the white ball format. That's something I'm really proud of.
Although the results previous to this World Cup hadn't gone our way a huge amount, there was so much learning that we got out of that.
Q. Obviously there was that sort of issue against England where you lost early wickets, you had Maxy come in quite early against a new ball. Has your thinking developed any further there whereby say if you're three down he comes in after the powerplay regardless, or are you thinking the same way?
AARON FINCH: No, well, that was the plan from the start of the tournament to be honest. The only change with the England game is that we went in with six specialist batters instead of the seven which we've used in the other four games. But that left us with a decision to make whether Maxy went in in the powerplay or we held him back. We felt as though for us to win that game, you've got to throw all your aces up front when you've only got six batters.
It didn't work that day, but that's okay, we've learnt our lesson from that and we're still here in the semifinal to push on.
Q. Just to clarify that, so if you play seven batters he would be held back until over seven plus?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, generally. I think that's a pretty common theme with Maxy's role in our team and other teams he's played, and he's someone who plays spin really well through the middle. He can be really dominant with five fielders out from ball one, which is an amazing skill. Yeah, that's obviously what we've done in the previous parts of this tournament.
Q. Big picture how would you describe the enormity of winning this tournament I suppose in the context of Australia having never won it but also what's happened in the past 18 months? The players were quite well set Feb 2020 and COVID has disrupted the host country, the date, the lead-up series, the rankings side and all that?
AARON FINCH: Oh, not too fussed with the ranking slide to be honest. Like I said, we've played a lot of overseas tours. We've learned a lot out of them tours, as well, which has been a really important part of the growth of not just this team but the depth of T20 cricket in particular in Australia.
Yeah, it would mean a lot to win it, but we've still got a semifinal to focus on first, and coming up against a very, very good and informed Pakistan, so it'll be a great challenge. I think that'll really test us to see where we are in the world.
Q. You talked a bit earlier about Adam Zampa. Do you get the sense he's gone to another level at this World Cup? Everyone has seen what he's done the last few years, but to perform the way he has often as the sole frontline spinner at a big tournament, what's stood out from your perspective, and did you get a sense maybe that some teams had even underrated him at the start of the tournament?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I don't think that anyone has underrated him. He's been a wonderful bowler for a few years now in the white ball formats for Australia. He's someone who loves the competitiveness or loves the fight. Being a spinner, you obviously cop some tap at times, but his attitude along with Ash Agar, Mitch Swepson, they've been working really closely, Maxy, as well. They work so closely, they're a tight-knit group that they're continually learning from each other. I think Zamps' biggest strength over his career is that he's been able to get good players out on good wickets consistently, and that's a great skill to have.
Yeah, he hasn't surprised any of us one bit. We've seen how good he is, but it just comes down to him being a really good bowler. There's nothing more to it than that. His confidence is high at the moment, and bowling nicely.
Q. My question for you is in T20 cricket we talk a lot about momentum, and Australia has gained some momentum after losing to England, so in your opinion how important is the momentum against a Pakistan team which has won all of its matches in the group stage and also Marsh on how crucial he has been for you guys at No. 3?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I don't think that momentum is something that really goes over -- in a tournament like this, I don't think it carries over a huge amount because you're playing a totally different opposition, different conditions. It's going to be a different wicket again. I don't think you can read too much into anything like that.
One thing that -- all you can control is your process and your planning, and we've been doing that really well. We've got confidence in that. Like I've said before, Pakistan are playing really good cricket, so it'll be a great test.
And in terms of Mitchell Marsh, he's been excellent for us. His ability to bat at No. 3 and be really aggressive and take the game on has been really pleasing. The overs that he bowled the other day against a really dominating West Indies batting lineup were really crucial in dragging that score down to 160. He's someone who works hard on his bowling, and yeah, he's a huge asset for our team.
Q. Do you think going into a semifinal it's any advantage that you guys have been playing must-win cricket for the last two group games?
AARON FINCH: Oh, I don't think it makes too much difference to be honest. In a tournament with the format thing, straight to semifinals and a final, you know that you're on the tightrope from day one, and that first game against South Africa could have gone either way. We got over the line there in a really close one. We've played some really good cricket towards the back end after that England game.
I don't think it makes too much difference, to be honest. Pakistan have been excellent, particularly in like the start of this tournament, to build their bank, so to speak. Yeah, not too much.
Q. I don't know if you're aware, but you're 25 runs away from 10,000 in T20. I know winning is your focus this week, but on a personal level, longevity, consistency in this format, is that something that leaves you quite proud?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, I didn't know that. That's nice. Be nice to tick it off. But yeah, I don't really play for personal stuff to be honest. That's a side piece.
My greatest memories are going to be winning tournaments, winning a World Cup for Australia. It's not about getting a hundred or doing something special individually. I would rather get a duck and win than a hundred and lose. Them personal things don't play on my mind one bit. Yeah, it's just purely down to business of trying to win this first game against Pakistan.
Q. Just wondering about Matthew Hayden. What's it like to know that you're going to come up against a fellow Aussie on that side, and have you seen him around at all or do you sort of stick to your own camp there?
AARON FINCH: We saw him around yesterday actually. I think Pakistan moved into the hotel yesterday. Yeah, saw him around. I think it's great to see the greats of Australian cricket crossing over into other countries and helping out as much as they can. I think we've got a rich history of great players helping our countries in terms of franchise cricket. So yeah, that's brilliant.
Q. When you select the squad, your 11 for the T20, will you go according to the man-to-man marking or the forms of the players?
AARON FINCH: No, we structured -- either way. We obviously look at the opposition and their strengths and weaknesses and what resources we have got to match up against that, but we also have to look at what we do really well and stay true to that. I think if we get seduced into looking purely only at matchups, then you probably go away from your own strengths quite a bit.
Yeah, it's a bit of give and take. You take all the information in and make a judgment call there, but yeah, you've got to look after your own backyard first.
Q. Just to pick up on talking about the balance of the side, which I guess has been a theme throughout, just maybe compare this to previous T20 World Cups when Shane Watson has always been in the side. Can you talk about the challenge of those decisions around balance for you as captain, especially without someone who's maybe quite as much of a genuine allrounder in the way Watson was at his peak?
AARON FINCH: Yeah, that can be a tough balancing act. I think the fact that we've got the three allrounders in Maxwell, Marsh and Stoinis, to bowl them four overs has been really beneficial for us. We know how good Maxy can be in the powerplay but also through the middle overs when the matchups are right. That's given us a lot of confidence to be able to go in with the four specialist bowlers plus the allrounder.
That's probably something that we've wrestled with in the past. Mitch Marsh's bowling has been excellent over the past couple of series and against West Indies the other day. I don't think Stoin has bowled yet in this tournament, but he's had some really good success, particularly toward the back end of the innings, as well.
Yeah, it obviously makes it a really tough decision, but having them allrounders there, especially ones who offer so much flexibility to the side with Mitch batting at 3, Maxy can be that floater anywhere from sort of No. 3 down to No. 5 or 6 and Stoin with his real power game towards the middle and back-end overs, it does give us a lot of flexibility with the selection.
- Joined
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Message of encouragement from Ramiz Raja
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Joseph Gomes
First Class Star
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Pakistan should smash logically, but Australia has always bullied Pakistan. Pakistan will do well to not choke against Aus.
YousafTheBeast
T20I Debutant
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Personally, I’d like us to bowl first and restrict them to maybe around 150. We’ve got the players to chase that sort of total.
But, the last 2 games we’ve against Australia in Dubai, we batted first and won both games…
But, the last 2 games we’ve against Australia in Dubai, we batted first and won both games…
drubwrubnat
Tape Ball Regular
- Joined
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Bit of a cliche, but its all about handling the pressure.
Whoever makes unforced error will lose.
Good luck both
Whoever makes unforced error will lose.
Good luck both
Brett Lee
After almost a month of action, it all comes down to five days, four teams and three matches at the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021. And I reckon this could be Australia’s year.
England are the favourites from here but I sense the belief in the Australia camp and I think there is some real momentum there. Everything is clicking nicely ahead of Thursday's semi-final against Pakistan.
Go back a month and Australia didn’t have any form on the eve of this tournament but their big players have caught fire. I was speaking to David Warner before it started and told him 'I have you down to be Australia’s leading run-scorer, so don’t let me down!' I did that on the belief that he is a big-match player, a big tournament player and that has not changed. Aaron Finch has found some form, Mitchell Marsh is hitting the ball well and Glenn Maxwell will come good.
They have been underdogs in this tournament and going under the radar has really helped them. When you go in as one of the favourites like England, with their history and success, it breeds confidence but also expectations. If England don’t beat New Zealand and make the final, people will be asking questions, just like India, who started slowly and didn’t peak at the right time.
I think we have the right four teams in the semi-finals and it’s interesting to note that only one of them is from the sub-continent. We thought the conditions would favour the likes of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but it just didn’t happen for them.
A key reason for Australia's success is how they have utilised spin. With the bat, we have some great players of spin and they have shown that in this tournament, but the big weapon is Adam Zampa. His form spinning the ball has been key and Australia have embraced a different T20 style with him. Before, the method was always to try to score 170-odd and then try and blow teams away with the quicks. But they know they can’t do that in the UAE and introducing a bigger spin element has helped massively.
These are the games we live for as cricketers and the team that wins the tournament will be the one that does the basics the best – and I mean things like making sure there are no stupid run outs, not bowling no-balls, running the twos very hard. I love those things.
There is the old cliché that it’s just another game but it’s obviously not. It’s a World Cup semi-final! How you deal with your emotions and execute those plans that will allow you to either win or lose at that final hurdle.
The advice I would give is to enjoy it. Enjoy how far you have come. Focus on the strengths, and the strengths for all four teams are they have done the basics far better than most other teams. T20 cricket is about match-winners, big runs and big totals. But it is also about the one per-cent moments.
Australia are experienced in these situations. Some of these boys won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 and then reached the semi-finals four years later and that counts for so much in those pressure situations at the death. If you have been there and done it, whether you have won or lost, you will have learnt from that experience and playing under that pressure.
Perhaps my favourite part about Thursday’s game is that it will pit two of my old teammates against each other. Who would have scripted two great mates in Justin Langer and Matty Hayden on opposite sides?
Justin is the head coach of Australia and then Matty is the batting consultant for Pakistan, two lads who opened the batting together for years and are two of Australia’s greatest run-getters ever in Test cricket.
They have shown that bromance on the field and I know that when they go out, there will be so much respect for each other. They will be fighting hard for their teams but it’s fun! It’s a great feather in Matty’s cap. Pakistan have always had the talent but it’s how you massage that talent and bring it together that creates a good side and Matty has done that. He’s always been a great leader and him being there is great for Pakistan and I also think it’s been healthy for cricket.
We don’t want to look too far ahead but if Australia win then they are guaranteed a big rival in the final, with England playing New Zealand. It would be cool to see an Australia v England final, but a lot is going to happen between now and Sunday, anything can happen.
After almost a month of action, it all comes down to five days, four teams and three matches at the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021. And I reckon this could be Australia’s year.
England are the favourites from here but I sense the belief in the Australia camp and I think there is some real momentum there. Everything is clicking nicely ahead of Thursday's semi-final against Pakistan.
Go back a month and Australia didn’t have any form on the eve of this tournament but their big players have caught fire. I was speaking to David Warner before it started and told him 'I have you down to be Australia’s leading run-scorer, so don’t let me down!' I did that on the belief that he is a big-match player, a big tournament player and that has not changed. Aaron Finch has found some form, Mitchell Marsh is hitting the ball well and Glenn Maxwell will come good.
They have been underdogs in this tournament and going under the radar has really helped them. When you go in as one of the favourites like England, with their history and success, it breeds confidence but also expectations. If England don’t beat New Zealand and make the final, people will be asking questions, just like India, who started slowly and didn’t peak at the right time.
I think we have the right four teams in the semi-finals and it’s interesting to note that only one of them is from the sub-continent. We thought the conditions would favour the likes of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but it just didn’t happen for them.
A key reason for Australia's success is how they have utilised spin. With the bat, we have some great players of spin and they have shown that in this tournament, but the big weapon is Adam Zampa. His form spinning the ball has been key and Australia have embraced a different T20 style with him. Before, the method was always to try to score 170-odd and then try and blow teams away with the quicks. But they know they can’t do that in the UAE and introducing a bigger spin element has helped massively.
These are the games we live for as cricketers and the team that wins the tournament will be the one that does the basics the best – and I mean things like making sure there are no stupid run outs, not bowling no-balls, running the twos very hard. I love those things.
There is the old cliché that it’s just another game but it’s obviously not. It’s a World Cup semi-final! How you deal with your emotions and execute those plans that will allow you to either win or lose at that final hurdle.
The advice I would give is to enjoy it. Enjoy how far you have come. Focus on the strengths, and the strengths for all four teams are they have done the basics far better than most other teams. T20 cricket is about match-winners, big runs and big totals. But it is also about the one per-cent moments.
Australia are experienced in these situations. Some of these boys won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 and then reached the semi-finals four years later and that counts for so much in those pressure situations at the death. If you have been there and done it, whether you have won or lost, you will have learnt from that experience and playing under that pressure.
Perhaps my favourite part about Thursday’s game is that it will pit two of my old teammates against each other. Who would have scripted two great mates in Justin Langer and Matty Hayden on opposite sides?
Justin is the head coach of Australia and then Matty is the batting consultant for Pakistan, two lads who opened the batting together for years and are two of Australia’s greatest run-getters ever in Test cricket.
They have shown that bromance on the field and I know that when they go out, there will be so much respect for each other. They will be fighting hard for their teams but it’s fun! It’s a great feather in Matty’s cap. Pakistan have always had the talent but it’s how you massage that talent and bring it together that creates a good side and Matty has done that. He’s always been a great leader and him being there is great for Pakistan and I also think it’s been healthy for cricket.
We don’t want to look too far ahead but if Australia win then they are guaranteed a big rival in the final, with England playing New Zealand. It would be cool to see an Australia v England final, but a lot is going to happen between now and Sunday, anything can happen.
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Babar Azam has led Pakistan team well in the ongoing T20 World Cup and doesn't need to do anything differently in the semi-final against Australia on Thursday, PCB chairman and former skipper Ramiz Raja said on the eve of the game.
Pakistan have comfortably won all their five games and are dubbed as favourites to beat Australia, who haven't been bad either.
"So far the Pakistan team has really done well and impressed us well with their consistent performances. I don't think Babar Azam needs to do anything differently in the semi final against Australia. The team should just remain motivated and play fearlessly," Ramiz said in a statement.
Ramiz said that he was happy to see the Pakistan team shed the tag of being inconsistent performers by doing consistently well in the T20 World Cup and winning five matches in a row.
"The win over India was the result of a strong temperament while we beat New Zealand with some good planning while the win over the Afghanistan team came after playing their spinners well," he added.
He said that Babar's leadership, the players' self belief and their humble behaviour on the field had been appreciated by everyone and had led to consistency in the team's performance as well.
"You have qualified for the knock-out stage…victory or defeat is not in any human's hand. But you should just continue to play good cricket and have self belief. The entire nation's prayers are with you."
Ramiz said he was just happy to see that no player is afraid of defeat and they are playing fearless cricket which is the brand of cricket Pakistan should always play.
Ramiz, who took over as chairman of the board on 13th September accepted Babar's request for changes in the squad before the World Cup, something which the Pakistan captain admitted on Tuesday had allowed him to lead the side more confidently and without fear of defeat.
Ramiz himself is flying to Dubai to attend the World Cup final and also the ICC board meeting, which is being held for the first time in person since the Covid-19 outbreak last year.
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...against-australia-pcb-chief-ramiz-raja/830726
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Reports:
Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan are suffering from flu, ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia tomorrow.
The duo didn’t take part in the practice session today as well.
Malik and Rizwan’s participation in the match against Australia will be confirmed tomorrow.
https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/n...n-suffering-from-flu-ahead-of-australia-clash
Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan are suffering from flu, ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia tomorrow.
The duo didn’t take part in the practice session today as well.
Malik and Rizwan’s participation in the match against Australia will be confirmed tomorrow.
https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/n...n-suffering-from-flu-ahead-of-australia-clash
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PCB have confirmed to us :
"Inshallah final decision to be taken tomorrow"
So looks serious enough issue.
Oh that's bad news. Inshallah both get better for tomorrow
Savak
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This is a very important match. Wasim Akram has played important matches for Pakistan with chest, rib injuries and even fever. Big players need to bite the bullet for big games.
UzmanBeast
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Inshallah both will be fine for tomorrow.
Asif321
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Heard that Malik and Rizwan have caught flu ?
Australia is a clutch team in knock out games. They have done especially well against Pakistan in such situations. Pakistan will need to put Australia under pressure from the get go else they will lose. Toss of course is a big factor here and Pakistan seems to have their luck going in this department.
All the best to fellow PPers. Should be a great game!
All the best to fellow PPers. Should be a great game!
Mike Atherton "I'm going with Pakistan, they've got the best & most varied bowling attack in this competition. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, the spinners, the kind of combinations they have. They've got the best attack & I think they'll win the semi-final"
Nasser Hussain "Pakistan have been the best team that we have seen out here"
Nasser Hussain "Pakistan have been the best team that we have seen out here"
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This is why they should of played fringe players. Can’t b throwing ppl straight into semi…
Aman
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Pakistan are favorites in these conditions.
I don't think I can handle another Final against Aus. Guaranteed loss.
I don't think I can handle another Final against Aus. Guaranteed loss.
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Caved12
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Oh no! Terrible news!
Amjid Javed
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Hasan Ali and Fakhar zaman have been passengers in this team for most of this world cup and both need to seriously improve a do a job for pakistan tomorrow. Pakistan defo need early wickets tomorrow as that will heap pressure on Aussies middle order which i think can be exposed in these conditions.
it will be a tough game tomorrow.
it will be a tough game tomorrow.
castortroy
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Tomorrows game is all down to the the toss.
If pak are batting first, it will be an Australia v new Zealand final
Bookmark this
If pak are batting first, it will be an Australia v new Zealand final
Bookmark this
Technics 1210
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Flu and Covid are 2 separate things.
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Pakistan fans!
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/4hf7x6" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
ChennaiFan
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I see your point and it is fair. Each person's perception is different and I respect your views.
Also, I gave credit to the Pakistan team for the very good cricket they played in that game. Let us hope they continue to play like that and hope for a cracker of a match with the second semi-final.
Runner Up
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Jang News already announced replacement of Rizwan and Malik as Sarfaraz and Haider Ali.
Uzi
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If this does happen, [MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION] will be pleased at least. Rizwan more so than Malik will be a big miss if he isn't fit for the match.
Aman
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If true, Aus surely have to fancy themselves against this Pakistan team.
Would be a great effort from Pakistan to win after losing 2 important players who have been two of their best performing players this tournament.
Amjid Javed
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If Rizwan and malik are missing tomorrow then Aussies are the favourites to win.
Definitely big boots to fill there. Specially when the replacements are Sarfraz for Rizwan and Haider for Malik.
Main question now though, would Sarfaz open the innings or play in middle order?
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Uzi
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He definitely wouldn't open. He will drop to the middle order and Fakhar will open. Hopefully they are fit to play tomorrow.
Justcrazy
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Hassan Ali would be man of the match tomorrow. Mark my words.
For me a change in the batting order would be even a bigger blow than these two not playing. Coz everyone knew their roles and responsibilities pretty well. Have to just fill Sarfraz and Haider in the exact same spots that Rizwan and Malik had. Or the other 4 batters except Babar would be forced to change their game. These 4 are Hafeez, Fakhar, Imad and Asif.
ahmadharis1
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Of course this had to happen, things were going too smoothly 
Australia were probably slight favorites before, not they're easily the better side and strong favorites
Australia were probably slight favorites before, not they're easily the better side and strong favorites
They are both fine and should play according to a Tweet i read.
jattafridi
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I think Australia will win 
Man of the match will be Maxwell the king
Man of the match will be Maxwell the king
castortroy
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The toss is going to be so crucial
No chance in hell pak will be able to defend a total.
Players like Hasan Ali and afridi will collapse under the pressure
No chance in hell pak will be able to defend a total.
Players like Hasan Ali and afridi will collapse under the pressure
If Rizwan & Malik is out, that's a big blow but Pakistan can still win. Remember that the game is 20 overs maximum of batting, not 50 overs. Everyone will go up a place in the middle order with Fakhar opening in his natural position and Hafeez at 3.
Sarfaraz will hopefully not be needed too much for his batting, but might useful behind the stumps talking but not going too far with his mouth.
Sarfaraz will hopefully not be needed too much for his batting, but might useful behind the stumps talking but not going too far with his mouth.
I beg to differ Pakistan can easily defend 160-165, besides Finch/Warner/Smith and to a lesser extent Maxwell the Aussies don't really bring a lot. Pakistan have beaten Australia before in these conditions. Toss is crucial but don't have the mentality that if i've lost the toss i've lost the game.
If Rizwan & Malik is out, that's a big blow but Pakistan can still win. Remember that the game is 20 overs maximum of batting, not 50 overs. Everyone will go up a place in the middle order with Fakhar opening in his natural position and Hafeez at 3.
Sarfaraz will hopefully not be needed too much for his batting, but might useful behind the stumps talking but not going too far with his mouth.
Both are fit from the most recent Tweet i've read. They'll play.
ritzy_123
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My thoughts are completely different I will not tinker with the batting order too much.
I'll place Sarfaraz as opener and Haider can switch roles with Hafeez. He must come after Fakhar at no. 4.
That's my personal opinion.
I'll place Sarfaraz as opener and Haider can switch roles with Hafeez. He must come after Fakhar at no. 4.
That's my personal opinion.
Colorblind Genius
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Today, it’s proven yet again that if Pak bats first, probably
150 is not enough
155 is not enough
160 is not enough
165 is not enough
170 is not enough
175 is not enough
180 is not enough
185 takes you to the border line
190 makes you step over the line
195 takes you into the green zone
And with the current batting line and with the current batting strategy, that is, to choke the powerplay n score 50 runs in the last 5 overs won’t work - and even if it does, it won’t take you to 190+
Need to reinforce the batting line by bringing in Haider and/or Nawaz to increase our chances of scoring big if we are to bat first
150 is not enough
155 is not enough
160 is not enough
165 is not enough
170 is not enough
175 is not enough
180 is not enough
185 takes you to the border line
190 makes you step over the line
195 takes you into the green zone
And with the current batting line and with the current batting strategy, that is, to choke the powerplay n score 50 runs in the last 5 overs won’t work - and even if it does, it won’t take you to 190+
Need to reinforce the batting line by bringing in Haider and/or Nawaz to increase our chances of scoring big if we are to bat first
You could have punctuated your initial post by saying 1966 or 2016 instead of 1996 as the year you started watching cricket, and it would not have made any difference.
The deliveries that got RS and KLR would have made the highlight of a Test match and the shots both batsmen played to them would not have been out of place in a Test match either. Frankly, given the standard of modern day Test batsmen, I doubt anyone would have faulted them if they had gotten out in this manner in a Test match.
There was nothing ‘attacking’ in the manner in which they got out. One tried getting his feet out of the way and almost fell over. The other tried to cover the line but then upon observing sharp late movement tried to play the changing line of the delivery but it went through him.
Not so much a matter of perception as of elementary cricketing acumen.
I don’t think need to point out how long I have been watching or playing the sport to underline the simple notion above.
Visaal-E-Yaar
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If pak bat first and get 175 no way aus can chase that.
castortroy
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Aussies alway turn up for knock out matches.
I don't see pak defending a total. Pak are the "free hit" specialist with their consistent no balls and Mark my words, one of Hasan, Rauf and afridi will badly let the side down tomorrow
I don't see pak defending a total. Pak are the "free hit" specialist with their consistent no balls and Mark my words, one of Hasan, Rauf and afridi will badly let the side down tomorrow
Colorblind Genius
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NZ scored 167 with 6 balls to spare.
Chasing 175 is a joke in these conditions when spinners cant get the grip on the wet ball and pacers can't swing the wet ball.
Savak
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Australia is the most mentally toughest Western Team. Pakistan will have to play out of their skins tommorow. The worst possible semi final match up for our team and our track record doesn't give much optimism.
ChennaiFan
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You may have great cricket knowledge and intelligence. And I could be a simple man with elementary cricketing acumen. But that does not mean I won't have a different view on a cricket match than yours. All I wanted to say was I knew how the Indian team approached batting first when the dew was expected to play a major role. Also, my comments were about the approach as a batting unit and not any particular deliveries.
Note: I am done with this topic and I am not here to explain or justify my stance anymore.
Kroll
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Agreed, no way is 175 a "safe score" especially with Aussie batters coming into form. It may well could be a winning total but I'd much prefer 195+ (the green zone), even then you never know.
ChennaiFan
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I hope Australia wins the toss and chooses to field first. That will make it easier for Australia to win the match.
zoeyfactor
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So are the Geo/Jang reports valid or just rumors?
Raja Ishtiaq
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Aus will win tomorrow and also the final
Even if Malik and Rizwan dont have Covid, they still wont be 100%.
And their replacements are not up to standard especially Sarfraz
It was good while it lasted.
Even if Malik and Rizwan dont have Covid, they still wont be 100%.
And their replacements are not up to standard especially Sarfraz
It was good while it lasted.
It doesnt matter who bats first or second. Pakistan have no chance tomorrow. Expect them to get thrashed.
ads101
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We're favourites here, I think Pakistan is the better T20 team, their record speaks for itself and have performed better in the tournament so far. The thing Australia has going for them is that they've won so much before, I don't think they will be under as much pressure as Pakistan will. But really if you compare the teams especially in these conditions, our team honestly is better. I wouldn't be all doom and gloom about it.
Especially since out of New Zealand, England, Australia (and even India), we would have taken Australia over the rest. The scariest team in England has already been knocked out for us by a team we've already beaten. I genuinely thought England were just going to steamroll the opposition, but with England out we really should be up for this Semi final. If anything after England we are probably favourites to win the cup. So pretty confident we should put in a good showing here against Australia.
Especially since out of New Zealand, England, Australia (and even India), we would have taken Australia over the rest. The scariest team in England has already been knocked out for us by a team we've already beaten. I genuinely thought England were just going to steamroll the opposition, but with England out we really should be up for this Semi final. If anything after England we are probably favourites to win the cup. So pretty confident we should put in a good showing here against Australia.
gazza619
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Can somebody please ban the SL musicians from the stadium? Absolutely hated that background noise in the Eng NZ game.
hamzie
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Geo news saying rizwan and malik out
Rana
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IMO
Malik should be replaced with Sarfaraz (middle order)
Rizwan with Haider (top order)
Malik should be replaced with Sarfaraz (middle order)
Rizwan with Haider (top order)
Visaal-E-Yaar
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A lot of difference between england bowling lineup and pakistan. Pakistan can easily defend 175. I will be on sky if we bat first and get 175.
Sunzi
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Man. I'm pumped for this.
Hope we turn up.
Hope we turn up.
Sunzi
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Good luck with that. After Rizwan's returns in general, coupled with his partnership with Babar that is never gonna happen.
Malik's hand against NZ and knock vs Scotland ensure his relevance at the moment.
Colorblind Genius
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Did you notice your ace bowler, Shaheen was able to take just ONE wicket in TWO games against meager teams like Nam and Scotland when he had to bowl in dew?
This is how the dew kills the potency of bowlers.
What are you thumping your chest about?
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Smbhayi
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Come on aussies
The cricket enthusiast
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Any update on riz malik?
hamzie
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...........he means because of them likely not playing today because they are ill not long term ......
Sunzi
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My bad [MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION] - your context was surely in relation to Malik/Riz missing training through illness? In which case, I get where you're coming from.
You're anti-Riz posting in the past was the basis for my incorrect assumption ha ha ha.
Sunzi
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Yes. I gathered - I wrongly assumed. Guilty!
As addressed above and quoted here:
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