http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 vs Australia – 3rd ODI – Match Preview
With the series tied 1-1 after the opening two ODIs, Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 meet in the third and deciding match of the series in the battling heat of Sharjah, today, September 3, 2012.
The concluding matches have given plenty of indication of the strength both sides possess – Men in Green have the best spin attack in favourable conditions, led by talisman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Ajmal-c87859, while the current Aussie contingent are more inclined to prey on the opposition’s weaknesses.
The first match offered Australians the chance to exploit that and they duly did by bowling out the Men in Green on 198. Pakistan’s frailties with the bat gave their bowlers little to defend at and eventually resulted in a victory for the visitors, albeit a hard-fought one.
The second encounter saw the touring team struggle to tackle Saeed Ajmal but a total of 248 seemed competitive, only for dew to become a deciding factor and paving way for an easy seven-wicket victory for the hosts.
It’s all to play for in the final game as the venue again shifts to Sharjah. Australia has problems upfront where openers, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Abdur-Rehman-c41691/Shahid Afridi, a task made harder given the spin friendly conditions.
Warner’s destructive abilities are well known but his adapting capacity needs to improve if he is to succeed in all formats of the game. In the last ODI, he took 19 balls to get off the mark and then ended up making just 24 off 68 balls, which seriously puts doubt over his credentials as the leading opener for the hosts.
The bowling tactics might need a shuffle as well, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MG-Johnson-c1945 dropping to the bench.
However, for most Aussie players, the tour remains a learning curve and one expects them to improve in the coming games, including 3 T20Is.
Their opponents however, will feel reinvigorated after a much-needed victory and will seek to maintain that run. Having not beaten Australia in a series since 2002, the Men in Green will know that this remains their best chance to get the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Holly-Louise-Colvin-c63292 off their backs.
The spinners again came to the fore, with Ajmal proving unplayable, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 32. Hafeez’s nagging line and length also asked plenty of questions, while Rehman also bowled with confidence.
A shuffle to this trio is still on the cards, after the management confirmed that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Junaid-Khan-c77037 struggled for rhythm, despite the latter claiming three wickets, and will be look to improve.
The batting charge was equally impressive, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Asad-Shafiq-c46208 are dependable campaigners, followed by the destructive Akmal brothers.
With the pitch offering the usual turn and temperatures expected to remain high, toss will be key.
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