Battles aplenty between Pakistan and Australia, both on and off the field

After the news of boardroom bonhomie—Australia have agreed to tour Pakistan next year after a 24-year-gap—comes the on-field face-off. Not an inch will be given on the field of course, as both teams look to rise above their own imperfections and go one step closer to the trophy in the semi-finals on Thursday in Dubai. Pakistan, battling off-field strife as they always do, with countless reasons to prove a point. Australia, historically an absolute powerhouse in the game but forever a struggling T20 force. 

"Interesting how the narrative tends to change. 10 days ago, we were old and now are experienced. I don't think we have exceeded our expectations," Australian captain Aaron Finch said in his pre-match talk.  

There is an additional layer to this contest, the story of the two coaches. Matthew Hayden is in charge of Pakistan and Justin Langer of Australia. Together, not too long ago, they formed a formidable opening pair. There is a picture PCB has put out of the two coaches eyeballing each other by the side of a pool. It looks every bit the mock pic that it is, but no doubt that the two coaches have been hard at work figuring out just what it will take to outwit the other.    

One battle that has the potential to set the tone for the rest of the game is Pakistan's opening bowler against Australia's openers. Shaheen Shah Afridi has thrilled throughout the World Cup with his pace and movement and troubles batters so much that he picks up wickets in his first over in T20Is every third game he plays, just like he did against India in the match that kickstarted Pakistan's unbeaten World Cup campaign. On the other hand, David Warner and Aaron Finch's form at the top has been critical for Australia's success at the tournament. 

"Shaheen's been is pretty good form for Pakistan. That's going to be a crucial battle, no doubt," Finch said. "We've seen over the course of the tournament how important the Powerplay is. It definitely holds the key."

Pakistan is the only team at the tournament who have not been beaten. Their playing XI has remained unchanged as well. The only game they have been pushed hard was against Afghanistan. Even in that match, their lower-middle order power-hitting, one of their strengths, saw them through. Pakistan has followed a pattern through the tournament in their batting--start slow and solid--all teams in the Super 12 stage have lost wickets more frequently than Pakistan in the Powerplay, but no one scores as slowly as Pakistan at this stage, 5.83, according to Cricviz data. Then they tick away in the middle overs before unleashing death overs mayhem. No team has hit more sixes than Pakistan at the death in the Super 12 stage. Asif Ali, their primary death overs hitter, has a strike rate of 283 against pace. But against Australia, he will face two of the fastest and most difficult to hit death overs specialists in Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.

Unlike Australia, Pakistan have eased their way into the semi-finals. This has allowed them an opportunity to challenge themselves in different playing conditions. In their last two games under lights against weaker teams, Pakistan batted first, scored big and successfully defended totals. That's one thing Australia haven't been able to do. Their last match was a must-win one against the West Indies and all their four wins have come batting first. Will the dew factor prove to crucial in Dubai under lights, where ten of the 11 matches played so far have been won by the chasing team? 

"I think when it comes to finals, it doesn't make too much of a difference," Finch said. "I believe getting runs on the board can be really beneficial. We are confident we can win, whether we have to bat first or second." 

On paper, both teams have great pace attacks. But Pakistan's fast bowling trio–Afridi, Harris Rauf and Hasan Ali have been more productive because of their ability to bowl fuller lengths at high pace and by managing some swing in the air. Australia's is the same one they use in Test cricket–Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood–and they've done what they do in Tests, hit the deck and try and extract some variable bounce.

Hayden believed Pakistan batters are ready for them. 

"One of the benefits of having an abundance of fast bowling is someone like Mitchell Starc is negated in a training sense," he said. "Every day these boys are playing Shaheen Afridi and his swing and pace. Lots of practice against quality fast bowling is a great advantage." 

Starc will be up against Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the tournament top scorer and his partner, the almost equally prolific Mohammed Rizwan. The duo has consistently laid the foundation for their big hitters to steal the show. If Australia want to force their way in the game, they may have to find a way to force Pakistan to go to plan B. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa has been their most productive wicket-taker, but many in the Pakistan middle-order love to line up against spin. 

In the end, in a World Cup semi-final, it may all come down to nerves and the hunger to win. 

"As a nation that loves its cricket as much as it does and to have tournaments cancelled for numerous reasons, it's never been more important. The awareness is heightened," said Hayden.