Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
Only recently did Australia move down to third in the T20I rankings as a result of India’s thumping 2-0 series in Ireland. But, there is little doubt that the two teams today will be fighting it out in the final later this week.
However, looking at the current FIFA World Cup, anything is possible I guess, but it would be a massive failure if either of these two sides were to miss out on the final, looking at Zimbabwe’s troubles.
Australia are coming off a difficult, winless tour of England, but I still strongly believe that 2018 will be looked back as a positive year. They have the opportunity here to taste some success, which will be Justin Langer’s first as Australia coach. However, it won’t be easy. In England, they were suspect against spin, and in Zimbabwe, they can expect to face a trial against spin, so it’s vital that they don’t afford the kind of luxuries they provided to Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, and even Joe Root.
Pakistan stamped their authority yesterday, pummeling Zimbabwe by 74 runs. As the number ranked T20I side, with eight straight series wins behind their belt, how Pakistan deal with the favouritism tag will be interesting to see. They have shown consistency in this format, but mostly against sides they are expected to beat. Australia will be their toughest test since January when they beat New Zealand 2-1 – since then they have swept aside West Indies, Scotland and Zimbabwe.
Key to an Australia win
Key to a Pakistan win
Predicted teams
For Pakistan, it’s still a little early for them to experiment. After a winning start against Zimbabwe, I think they will stick with the same line up.
Pakistan possible XI: 1. Fakhar Zaman, 2. Mohammad Hafeez, 3. Hussain Talat, 4. Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), 5. Shoaib Malik, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Faheem Ashraf, 8. Shadab Khan, 9. Mohammad Nawaz, 10. Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Khan
Stats and Facts
- The last meeting between the two teams was in the World T20 in 2016, where Australia won by 21 runs to knock Pakistan out of the tournament.
- Eight is a good number for Pakistan right now. They have won eight matches and series in a row.
- Shoaib Malik has been unbeaten in 14 of his last 25 innings.