On Wednesday, Aaron Finch, Australia skipper, said that the battle against Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will hold the key in his side’s match in the upcoming semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Australia and Pakistan will be locking horns against each other in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Dubai International Stadium.
Aaron Finch: Powerplay Definitely Holds The Key As Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Excellent Form Is A Concern To Deal With
While Aaron Finch’s men are now just two wins away from tasting T20 World Cup glory for the very first time, Pakistan will look to continue the momentum from the Super 12 stage. The Men in Green will clearly enter the semi-final as hot favourites as they remain the only unbeaten side so far in the showpiece event, having won all five games in Group 2.
“I think what we have seen through the course of the tournament is how important the powerplay is both batting and bowling. I think the stats around the middle and death overs are pretty similar throughout.
“The powerplay definitely holds the key, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been in good form for Pakistan, that will be a crucial battle in the game,” said Aaron Finch while replying to a query during the virtual pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
While replying to a query about how important the toss will be in the semi-final, Finch said: “I think when it comes to the finals, it does not make a huge difference. I believe getting runs on the board especially in knockouts can be really beneficial. We have talked about it, we are confident that we can win if we happen to bat first.”
Australia, who advance in top-4 clash from ‘group of death’, have lost just one match till now. This will be Pakistan fifth appearance in the T20 WC semi-finals. The 2009 champions have reached this stage in the first four editions (2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012). On the other hand, Australia, who is yet to win the tournament, will be playing their fourth semi-final (2007, 2010, and 2012).
The tall left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi has troubled Australia in four meetings with eight wickets and a best of 3-37. He dismissed both Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell in his first outing against the Aussies in July 2018 in a tri-series in Harare.
Aaron Finch: The Semi-Final Will Be A Close Battle
Aaron Finch also said that Pakistan had done very well in the ongoing tournament, and the match would be a battle for the ages, and the fans can expect thrilling action.
“I think Pakistan has been in good form, they have won five matches and they have played good cricket throughout. I do not think you can read too much into history. They have a completely different team to what we have played in the past. In terms of Pakistan’s spin, they have had good success with Imad Wasim bowling in the powerplay. Shadab has also been excellent,” said Finch.
For Australia, all eyes will be on David Warner, who has amassed 187 runs at an average of 46.75 in this edition. Another Aussie who will have his say in the heavyweight clash is Adam Zampa (11 scalps). Only Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (16 scalps) has taken more wickets than Australia’s x-factor spinner. Accompanying him will be the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, and Glenn Maxwell’s tricks.
“It will be a close battle no doubt. Our quicks have done a really good job, I think having wickets that have been used quite a bit in the IPL and this tournament, I have been surprised with how well they have played.
“The curators have done a good job in keeping the conditions fair across all venues. That has been brilliant. Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have been fantastic. Sometimes it comes down to execution, we have been really happy with how they have gone, they are a world-class trio. Yeah, we are really happy with how that has gone,” he added.
Aaron Finch, however, refrained from saying that Pakistan will enter the contest as clear favourites. Instead, Aaron Finch, who has had knocks of 37, 44 and 40, praised Pakistan’s powerplay blitz with bat and ball.
“Pakistan has played brilliant cricket, the way they have gone in the powerplay with bat and ball, that has been crucial to their success. I think in this format of the game over the past few series, everyone had written us off. So you can read into that as you like,” Finch further added.
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. Aussies 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 by 21 runs when both teams last faced each other in the 2016 edition.