T20 World Cup 2021: 3 weaknesses that could hurt Australia in the semi-final against Pakistan
Australia will face Pakistan in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, November 11.
Australia were expected to struggle in the World Cup since many experts concluded that the UAE conditions would not suit their style of play. There were other issues, including skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner’s lack of form as well as the fact that their T20 outfit had not played together for a while. Most of the key players skipped the tours of West Indies and Bangladesh.
In that sense, it would not be wrong to say that Australia have exceeded expectations. Beginning their campaign with a hard-fought win over South Africa, they came up with impressive performances against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies although they slipped badly against England. Warner has found form while Finch has done reasonably well too.
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3 areas Australia need to be wary of
As Australia prepare to take on Pakistan in the second semi-final on Thursday, we look at three weak areas that could hurt them in the knockout clash.
#1 Warner’s match-up against Afridi
Australia will be pleased with opener Warner’s return to form. He goes into the semis having scored an unbeaten 89 against a hapless West Indies bowling attack. However, Pakistan’s bowling will be a completely different challenge in the semi-finals.
The two most versatile attacks in Group 1 - South Africa and England - troubled the Australian openers in the Super 12 round. Speaking specifically about Warner, how he tackles Shaheen Shah Afridi will be key. The Pakistan left-arm seamer targets the opposition’s main batter and he will undoubtedly go all out against Warner.
The Aussie opener has a tendency to poke at balls outside the off-stump, an inclination that could prove costly. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg aptly summed up the Warner vs Afridi battle.
Hogg explained:
“Shaheen Afridi swings it away from Warner with that straighter one. Warner, playing away from his body, has got a chance of an edge or he can get bowled with the gap between bat and bad. Warner is not as comfortable against left-arm quicks as he is with right-arm quicks.”
Warner will have to be wary of the Afridi threat, especially at the start of the innings.
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#2 An untested middle order and their hesitancy against spin
The Aussies won three of their five matches in the Super 12 stage by comprehensive margins. They defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets and Bangladesh and West Indies by eight wickets respectively. As a result, the middle order has hardly got any chance to make an impact.
In case Australia lose early wickets in the semi-final, the likes of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade could be up against Pakistan's spinners in the middle overs. While Smith and Maxwell will be expected to stand up to the challenge posed by Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim, the same cannot be said about the others. Even all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has had his struggles against slow bowling.
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In the match against South Africa, their batters didn’t look all that convincing against Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj. Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga also troubled the Australian batters. But their struggles against Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone in the match against England raised severe question marks about their ability against slow bowling. While Rashid had figures of 1 for 19, Livingstone did even better, claiming 1 for 15.
Pakistan will be keen to exploit this weak area in Australia’s batting.
#3 Starc and Cummins’ inconsistency
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are two of the best fast bowlers in the business today irrespective of the format they are playing. As such, Australia will expect the duo to lift their game on the big day. However, while both Starc and Cummins have done reasonably well in the T20 World Cup 2021, they have not lived up to the lofty standards they have set for themselves.
Left-arm seamer Starc has claimed seven wickets in five games so far which, on paper, is a decent return. He began the T20 World Cup in impressive fashion with two wickets against South Africa and Sri Lanka. However, Starc has looked off the boil in two of the last three games. He was taken apart by England and did not make an impression against West Indies as well. He was carted for two sixes by Andre Russell in the last over.
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Cummins’ performance is even more worrying. He has only managed four wickets in the competition so far, going wicketless against England and Bangladesh. He has lacked the potency that has made him such a great threat in international cricket. Australia expect a lot more from their premier fast bowler.
The Aussies have managed to tide over average performances from him because Josh Hazlewood, who was supposed to be a weak link in the pace attack, has lifted his game. But both Starc and Cummins will need to be at their best against Babar Azam and co., who will go into the semis with the upper hand.