T20WC Preview: AUS vs PAK

Australia will lock horns against Pakistan in the second semi-final of ICC World T20 2021. The match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, and is expected to be another thriller as both the sides are very strong and are in great form as well.
 

Pakistan is yet to lose a game in this tournament. They won all their games of the Super 12 round defeating the likes of India and New Zealand. Their openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are in excellent form scoring heaps of runs at the top. The veteran duo of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have been in great touch as well, scoring runs in the middle-order.

Their bowling has been top-notch as well. The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Haris Rauf have been very consistent, and will look to continue that form in this game as well. Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan too have been decent but there is room for improvement.

Australia won 4 out of the 5 games of the Super 12 round losing only to England. They weren't rated very high before the start of the tournament but here they are playing the semi-final of the tournament.

Aaron Finch has been consistently scoring runs at the top while David Warner too returned to form after having a bad phase with the bat. Mitchell Marsh showed his skills in the last game while Steve Smith too has been good in the limited opportunities he had.

Glenn Maxwell's form will be a big concern for the Aussies as he has failed to get going with the bat in this tournament. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been brilliant with the ball-picking wickets upfront and in the death overs as well.

Adam Zampa has been phenomenal with the ball-picking wickets in almost every game. But Pat Cummins being inconsistent will be a bit concerning for the Aussies as they don't have a good sixth bowling option.

Probable Playing 11

No changes are expected from either side and both teams are expected to field an unchanged eleven.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Head To Head

Overall: Pakistan lead 13-9
In T20WC: Both teams won 3 games each

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Dubai International Stadium is another good track for batting. Dew is expected to play a crucial part and make things easy for the chasing side. Scores of around 160-170 will be good on this wicket and teams will opt to bowl after winning the toss.

Match-ups

Warner vs Imad: 38(19), no dismissals
Maxwell vs Afridi: 25 runs for 2 dismissals
Finch vs Imad: 8 runs for 2 dismissals
Maxwell vs Imad: 38 runs for 2 dismissals
Finch vs Shadab: 53(27) for 3 dismissals
Maxwell vs Shadab: 20 runs for 3 dismissals
Babar vs Zampa: 61 runs for no dismissals
Babar vs Starc: 29 runs for 1 dismissal
Hafeez vs Cummins: 23 runs for 2 dismissals
Rizwan vs Agar: 10 runs for 2 dismissals

Key Players

Pakistan

• Babar Azam: Babar Azam has been leading his side from the front. He has scored 264 runs in 5 games at an average of 66 and a strike rate of 128.15. He's one of the two pillars of Pakistan's batting. Babar will look to give another good start to his team.
   
• Mohammad Rizwan: Rizwan is the second pillar of Pakistan's batting unit. He has been consistent as well in the tournament scoring 214 runs in 5 games at an average of 71.33 and a strike rate of 127.38. The onus will be on Rizwan alongside Babar to score the majority of the runs for his side.
   
• Shaheen Afridi: Shaheen Afridi has been Pakistan's strike bowler and has picked 6 wickets in 5 games at an economy of 6.70. Shaheen will look to provide early breakthroughs to his team and put the Aussies under pressure.

Australia

• Aaron Finch: Aaron Finch has played some really good knocks at the top. He has scored 130 runs at an average of 26. Finch is one of the best openers in T20is and will look to take his side to the semi-final of ICC World T20 2021.
   
• David Warner: David Warner has regained his touch with the bat after a horrible IPL. Warner has scored 187 runs in 5 Innings at an average of 46.75 and striking at 144.96. Warner can take the Aussies over the line single-handedly and the Aussie fans will be expecting the same as well.
   
• Adam Zampa: Zampa has been exceptional with his leg-spin bowling picking 11 wickets in five games at an economy of 5.73. He has been very consistent and has been amongst the wickets in all the games. Zampa will be very crucial in this game as Australia will need to stop the flow of runs in the middle-overs.

Dream11 Prediction

Top Captain Picks

• Babar Azam
• Mohammad Rizwan
• David Warner
• Mitchell Starc (First Bowling)
• Haris Rauf (First Bowling)
• Josh Hazlewood (Risky)

Team 1 (If Australia Bats First)

Team 2 (If Pakistan Bats First)