PAKISTAN VS AUSTRALIA – 3RD T20I – MATCH PREVIEW

Pakistan vs Australia – 3rd T20I – Match Preview

After taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead, Pakistan will look to inflict a rare clean sweep on Australia when both sides meet in the third and final T20I, played at the Dubai International Stadium, today, September 10, 2012.
The gulf between the two teams narrowed as the second T20 ended in the early hours of Saturday, giving a perfect head-start for the Men in Green ahead of the mega-event in Sri Lanka. After routing the Aussies in the first game, the Green Shirts displayed additional tenacity and courage to outplay their opponents, with everyone playing a pivotal role.
Mohammad Hafeez finally looked much settled in his new role as T20 skipper, and along with Nasir Jamshed, provided the team a solid base, which was then capitalized upon by the Akmal brothers. Viewing the pitch as another slow turner, they had a game plan in mind of scoring something in the region of 140-plus and achieved it with purposeful cricket.
The bowlers, as expected, then came to the fore despite Shane Watson and David Warner, who finally showed some form, giving a strong start. Saeed Ajmal’s introduction then changed the complexion until George Bailey bailed them out, only to be denied by some impressive outfield fielding from Yasir Arafat and last ditch bowling from Abdul Razzaq.
Razzaq and Umar Akmal then rounded off the victory after Umar Gul had restricted the two W’s to 11 in the Super Over. The manner of the victory simply stood out, where Pakistan outnumbered its opponents in terms of intensity, strength and focus, qualities they had been lacked since their 3-0 win against England.
While another high-voltage battle remains a long-shot, given the series is already wrapped up, the final game is a meaningful parade before the upcoming World T20. The same group of players from both sides will travel to Sri Lanka and confident showings in the last T20I could ensure a starting berth in their respective openers.
Pakistan is still sweating over the injuries to Shahid Afridi and Ajmal, the former nursing a sore thumb, while the latter injured his shoulder in the second T20I. Afridi’s involvement could further be restricted as hinted by coach Dav Whatmore, while it is expected that Ajmal might take the field, only if declared 100% fit. Mohammad Sami, Yasir Arafat and Asad Shafiq also remain in line to make their first appearances.
For the Aussies, dropping below Ireland in the ICC T20 rankings was something very unusual, which left their skipper bemused with the rating system. However, a win would see them rise above Irish back into 9th, but more importantly; a victory would keep their spirits high when they take on the Associate Nation in the opening game of their World T20 campaign.
Glenn Maxwell’s power-hitting was missed in the final game and the all-rounder could be brought back in place of either Cameron White or Daniel Christian.  The bowling department fared reasonably well, with Mitchell Starc impressing on his T20 debut. Brad Hogg would require a solid performance as he remains their first-choice spinner in this format.
The pitch at Dubai is expected to slow down even more, given the fact that the opening two games were also played on the same track.
Pakistan’s expected Playing XI: 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq/ Mohammad Sami, 8 Sohail Tanvir/ Yasir Arafat, 9 Raza Hasan, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed Ajmal.
Australia’s expected playing XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 David Hussey, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Cameron White/Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Christian/ Glenn Maxwell, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Mitchell Starc.