Australia to meet Pakistan in semis today
51,403 viewsBy jazbablog - Fri May 14, 5:44 pm
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Super-confident meet the unpredictable in the second T20 World Cup semifinal today.
On form and reputation, Australia in every format apart from the shortest one, look unbeatable; the T20 champions, though, are desperate to prove they are a fighting unit even without some key players.
The match, however, assumes an even look because of the setting: the Beausejour track is slow and more amenable towards the spinners. Pakistan, with amazing variety in this department, feel they have the edge: two offies, one orthodox left-armer and a maverick can do wonders even on a benign surface.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been particularly impressive so far: he has already taken 10 wickets and is third on the prolific list; more importantly, he was devastating against South Africa in a must-win game, claiming four scalps.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman too has slowly come into his own at the right time; add captain Shahid Afridi’s rapid-fire leg breaks and googlies and Australia might just want to slow down a bit, instead of dreaming about the big final.
Australia do boast of a formidable trio of pacers: Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson. Pakistan would be hoping the track itself would blunt these speed merchants; their batsmen are used to pace and won’t be as uncomfortable as India’s were.
Australia have the men for every contingency; but Pakistan, because of their sheer unpredictability, are the only ones who can pull off an upset win.
