Pakistan vs Australia - 4 key battles | ICC T20 World Cup 2021
Pakistan and Australia will take on each other in the second semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup in a battle of equally matched heavyweights. It is not often that Australia come into a knockout game without being clear favorites, but that is the case this time around.
5 wins out of 5 matches for the Pakistan team has proved just how good they are and how good they can be. And a debilitating loss against England for the Aussies has exposed weaknesses in their batting lineup.
But anything can happen in a knockout game, as we have seen in the past when it comes to games like this. With that out of the way, here are 4 matchups that will play a key role in determining the course of the game:
#1 David Warner vs Haris Rauf
After spending the IPL season for the most part sidelined by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner is finally back in form. And just in time for Australia's most important match yet.
Pakistan is arguably the top bowling side at this year's T20 World Cup and it will take all of Warner to blast a hole through them. And while Shaheen Afridi is their most fearsome bowler, it is Haris Rauf who deals the death blow to teams.
His 4 wickets against New Zealand ensured that they never got any momentum going. His economy, average and strike rate are also ahead of Shaheen Afridi. Along with Imad Wasim, he is the one who will choke the batsmen during the middle overs.
Pace like fire 🔥
Haris Rauf, the mainstay of Pakistan's T20I unit, celebrates his 2️⃣8️⃣th birthday 👏
#T20WorldCup #Pakistan https://t.co/yPkLkJD4Nd
With Australia's finishers not in form yet, Warner is the only batsman in the side in form and capable of scoring quick. That is why the Warner-Rauf battle is one to look for.
#2 Imad Wasim vs Adam Zampa
In the battle of the spinners, Australia's Adam Zampa might come out on top in terms of wickets taken (11 to Wasid's 4). But Imad's role in the team so far has been to control the run flow and create pressure from one end, and he has done that spectacularly so far.
His economy of 5.24 so far has been bested by bowlers who have bowled as many or more overs than him twice - Jasprit Bumrah and Wanindu Hasaranga. Zampa himself is not far off, with an economy of 5.74.
Imad Wasim in his five matches has conceded only 89 runs in his 17 overs, an incredible economy of 5.23, His ability to create a run drought from one end, yields crucial early wickets from other.
Unsung hero of this Pakistan side. #T20WorldCup https://t.co/TuRAxFcXIR
But what shifts the tide in Wasim's favor is that his opponents are less accustomed to playing spin than his teammates. Shoaib Malik and Hafeez and Babar Azam are all better players of spin than Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis. That will prove to be important - how each team tackles playing the spin.
Click here to view the T20 World Cup schedule.