Pakistan will lock horns with Australia in the 2nd semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Thursday. Their batting has been brilliant in this tournament – Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been superb as openers and have consistently given the side good starts. This has paved the way for Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, and Asif Ali to apply the finishing touches.
Bowling, which has been Pakistan’s strength, has been excellent. Shaheen Shah Afridi set the tone in the first match against India and he has found great support from Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, and Shadab Khan who have chipped in with wickets at different stages of the tournament.
Australia was labelled as favourites heading into this tournament as a number of their players were out of nick. However, the experience has come to the fore and they have found form in different matches. David Warner and Aaron Finch have got going and in Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis, they have a settled middle-order. The presence of Mitchell Marsh has given the side a lot of balance.
Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have all combined superbly in this tournament and they have found great support in Adam Zampa, who is the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Weather report
The match should not be interrupted by the rain as there are no rain forecasts. The overall weather of Dubai could well be dry, with winds around 16 kmph blowing during the match. The temperature is expected to hover around 35 to 36 degrees. If we take a look at the humidity, it will be around 55 percent.
Pakistan (PAK) vs Australia (AUS) probable playing XIs:
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Australia Predicted Playing XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
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