T20 WC semi-final, Pakistan vs Australia: Preview, stats, and more
Pakistan and Australia will face each other in the second semi-final of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup on Thursday. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the encounter. Pakistan are the only unbeaten side so far, having won all five games. They are deemed the favorites to win the tournament this time. Meanwhile, the Aussies have lost just one match till now.
The two sides have met 23 times in T20I cricket, with Pakistan leading the head-to-head series 13-9 (1 NR). Pakistan and Australia last faced each other in T20Is in November 2019. Australia won the three-match series 2-0. As far as the T20 World Cup is concerned, both sides have won three matches each. Australia won in the 2016 edition by 21 runs.
This will be Pakistan's fifth appearance in the T20 WC semi-finals. They reached this stage in the first four editions (2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012). Pakistan were crowned champions of the 2009 edition. On the other hand, Australia will be playing their fourth semi-final of the T20 WC (2007, 2010, and 2012). The Aussies are yet to win the tournament.
The match will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It will begin at 7:30 PM IST. Both Australia and Pakistan won their last games on this venue. The batters are able to play on the up here. Meanwhile, the spinners are always in action. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
David Warner is Australia's leading run-scorer in T20Is against Pakistan. He has amassed 348 runs from 15 games at a strike rate of 135.93 against them. In the bowling segment, Mitchell Starc has taken 13 wickets with the best bowling performance of 3/11. Meanwhile, Babar Azam owns 278 runs against Australia at an incredible average of 69.50. He has registered 4 fifties against them.
The resurrection of David Warner strengthens Australia's batting. Warner smashed an unbeaten 89 in their win against West Indies. The move to promote Mitchell Marsh worked too. Besides, the rest of their line-up appears to be settled. Probable XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Pakistan have made a concerted effort in all five matches so far. Their fast bowler bowlers are breathing fire, while the batting line-up is in good shape. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been unstoppable. Probable XI: Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi.
