Pakistan vs Australia - T20Is - the perfect dress rehearsal - Part 2 - Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
Players like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DA-Warner-c1301, who had been off color in the ODIs, would be itching to have a go at the Pakistanis in the shortest format. Warner, who is easily one of Australia’s best T20 batsmen, would be a key threat for the opposition, as his ability to
annihilate attacks on good wickets has never been in question. His swashbuckling 89 runs off just 43 deliveries against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in 2009, was just a prime example of what this diminutive batsman could do. The wicket in Dubai would ensure that the ball
comes onto the bat far more quickly as compared to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Warner would thus want to ensure that he could take on the likes of Gul and Co. early on, to set the tone for a massive score.
Other players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Glenn-Maxwell-c60189 and Matthew Wade also would want to prove a point by performing well in the three T20 series. Maxwell, whose heroics in the final ODI game at Sharjah ensured a memorable Australian victory, would want to carry on with
his big hitting exploits to the point of being in contention for the ICC World T20 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758. Similarly, players like Wade, who had succumbed to the guile and zip of Pakistan’s spinners, would want to shelve their abysmal performances in the ODI game, and
concentrate on a format that provides plenty of opportunities for batsmen to regain their form. As an attacking opening batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Matthew-Wade-c1933 would look most comfortable when he has a ‘no-holds barred’ approach, and the T20 format ensures that that is well
and truly the case.
For Pakistan however, the dread of losing to the Australians after coming so close to ending a ten year drought needs to be forgotten and forgotten quickly. For the selectors and the team management, it would be worth giving some of their explosive players
a go. Players like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755
in this situation however, would be the fact that many of these talented players would be rusty and out of international cricket for a long period of time. Yet, if they could carry their domestic exploits into the international arena, it would be exactly what
Pakistan needs as they move forward with one eye on the World T20 trophy.
The spotlight however, would be on the magician from the Arabian Desert. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942, but that shouldn’t fluster a player
of his caliber. He was the stand out performer in the three ODIs of the Cool and Cool Cup, and the psychological blow that he had dealt to Australia, would continue to send shudders down the opposition ranks. Other players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sohail-Tanvir-c90665, who were below
par with the ball, would want to silence their critics by coming up with a match winning spell. If a player like Tanvir manages to come up with something special, then his bowling failures could become a thing of the past.
The desert condition, the extreme heat and a formidable opposition, is really all that Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 could ask for in the lead up to the all important World T20. Both teams would be tested to the core and would be aiming to address their loopholes
as well. Whomever takes the series would go to the Emerald Isle brewing with confidence. The team which succumbs to outlandish pressure however, would be provided with a mirror image of where their team stands. For Australia or Pakistan, they couldn’t have
asked for anything better.
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