Preview Australia : The one trophy missing from their rather elaborate trophy cabinet , Australia , boasting of one of the strongest sides in the tournament , go into the go into their opening T 20 WC encounter against Pakistan hoping to get their campaign off to the perfect start . Even with their hero in recent times , Mitchell Johnson , missing out through injury Australia side posses a host of players who can change the course of the game in a flash. David Warner leads the batting charges, and no one needs any reminding of the amount of damage he can do on his day. Add to this the likes of Aaron Finch, George Bailey , Shane Watson and Brad Hodge and it translates to tons of runs for the side . Their bowling too boasts of quality with Mitchell Starc , Nathan Coulter-Nile , Doug Bollinger and James Faulker lending the pace department an experienced and potent feel . If there is one department that the Aussies will want a little more depth it would be a quality back up to the aging Brad Hogg . The left -armer can be a handful when he hits form , but Australia will have to rely on him heavily to deliver the goods on what would usually be helpful wickets. Also, the fact that Australia are placed in a group with teams that are extremely comfortable against spin will make Hogg s job all the more tougher . Key for success : Australia opening combination is as devastating as they come. In David Warner and Aaron Finch, they have two big-hitting batsmen in the form of their lives. If the duo get off to a strong start , Australia could easily amass huge totals . Pakistan: Ear marked as one of the teams to watch out for pre -tournament , Pakistan s odds have dipped considerably after being walloped by South Africa in the warm - up and then by India in the opening game of the tournament . Despite their lack of form , Australia would make a huge folly by writing off a team like Pakistan . They have always carried a notorious reputation for being unpredictable and if they get their act together , they can blow away an opposition as easily as they sometimes capitulate. Pakistan s last game went nothing according to plan - The batsmen barring , to some extent , Umar Akmal and Shoaib Maqsood failed to come good as they were restricted to a sub- par 130 by India. And their bowlers could do little but delay the inevitable as India cantered to an easy 7- wicket win . Hafeez s team will know that another loss for the side could leave them with an extremely slim chance of progressing to the next stage , but they will also know that they are capable of some of their best cricket when they have their backs against the wall. Key for success : Pakistan s all - rounders are also their biggest match- winners . Mohd Hafeez , Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Bilawal Bhatti all had off days with both bat and ball, and they will hoping it was just one of those rare occasions . Upcoming milestones : Mohammad Hafeez has taken 44 wickets and need 6 more to achieve the 50 wickets milestone. Umar Akmal has taken 23 field catches and needs 2 more to achieve the 25 catches milestone . Quotes : George Bailey : They got three spinners in top 10 at the moment in Twenty 20 ( rankings ) . They are a very , very strong spinning side and the conditions can be challenging for us here but we ve certainly got a strong batting line up at the moment that hopefully overcomes them . Mohd Hafeez : Ajmal is our strike bowler and we use him as an wicket- taking option. Teams: Australia ( From ) : David Warner , Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell , George Bailey ( c ) , Brad Hodge, Brad Haddin ( w ) , Daniel Christian, Mitchell Starc , Nathan Coulter-Nile , Brad Hogg , Cameron White , James Faulkner , Doug Bollinger , James Muirhead Pakistan ( From ) : Kamran Akmal ( w ) , Ahmed Shehzad , Mohammad Hafeez ( c ) , Umar Akmal , Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood , Bilawal Bhatti , Umar Gul , Saeed Ajmal , Junaid Khan , Sharjeel Khan , Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Talha , Sohail Tanvir
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 05:37:24 +0000
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