T20 World Cup 2021, Semi-final 2: Australia Predicted Playing XI against Pakistan

High-flying Pakistan versus upbeat Australia, you could not have asked for a better semi-final clash, which nearly has a final-like vibe. Pakistan have been the team to beat this tournament, having convincingly outsmarted each one they have come across. Australia, on the other hand, despite being made to wait by South Africa about their fate, deservedly managed to secure a berth eventually.

Australia have not lost once to Pakistan in these two teams’ meeting in an ICC knockout game in streak running since 1987 World Cup semi-final, followed by the 1999 World Cup final, the 2010 T20 World Cup semi-final and the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, while Pakistan have not lost a single T20I in the UAE since 2015, a mind-boggling streak that has swollen to 16 now. One of these will come to an end on November 11.

Australia Predicted XI against Pakistan:

Openers – David Warner, Aaron Finch

David Warner helped Australia make short work a 158-run target against West Indies in a must-win encounter in Abu Dhabi. He might have entered the tournament with an underwhelming IPL that saw him lose plenty, but Warner has shown he is far from over. Then be it his belligerent 65 off 42 against Sri Lanka, or the unbeaten 89 off 56 against West Indies. Warner struck four sixes and nine boundaries in the knock and hardly ever felt troubled against any bowler, even as his partner Aaron Finch was cleaned up cheaply by Akeal Hossein.

Middle-order – Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade

Thanks to Australia’s top-order, their middle-order has remained largely untested. Warner and Finch blazed Australia off to a win single-handedly against Bangladesh, while after Finch’s fall against West Indies, Mitchell Marsh struck an aggressive half-century (53 off 32) to kill the chase alongside Warner. Against England, the unit endured a collapse.

Glenn Maxwell has not crossed 18 in the tournament thus far but has come in handy at times with the ball, including delivering in the powerplay and filling in Australia’s fifth-bowler quota alongside Marsh or Marcus Stoinis, who both have not had much to do either apart from the first couple of games. That’s also Steve Smith’s story, but one would suspect where Australia would have been without his crucial anchoring knocks against South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Bowlers – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Adam Zampa has not only been the pick of the bowlers for his team but the entire tournament. He is currently the joint second-highest wicket-taker, with 11 wickets in five games at a stellar average of 9.90 and a miserly economy rate of 5.73, including a Player of the Match fifer against Bangladesh.

Mitchell Starc (seven wickets in five games at 21.42 and 7.89) has been no less, operating clinically in all the phases of the game, assisting Josh Hazlewood (eight wickets in five at 13.75 and 6.87) who was at his riotous best against West Indies, claiming 4/39. With only four wickets in the tournament so far, Pat Cummins has flown slightly under the radar, but the world is well-aware of his match-winning calibre.