Pakistan will take on Australia in their final game of the ICC World T20 2016 group stage at the PCA Stadium in Mohali Friday. This could be Pakistan's final game of the tournament as well.
They need nothing but a win over Australia to keep their slim chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 alive.
If they win against Australia, they will be at 4 points. Then they will have to wait until the match between India and Australia. If India loses that game, then the net run rate will come into play.
Meanwhile, India has inched closer to that second spot in the semi-final from Group 2 after their scintilating win over Bangladesh.
Pakistan and Australia would have thought that India will be out of contention as they almost bowed down to the Bangla Tigers Wednesday. But when MS Dhoni is still in the game, the impossible can also happen and it did happen. India won that match by a solitary run.
The Aussies have not been at their best in this tournament so far. They lost against New Zealand and somehow managed to win against Bangladesh, as they managed to survive a scare.
Steve Smith really needs to stick to basics. He should ideally get back David Warner and Aaron Finch back in the opening slot. Usman Khawaja has batted well, but he needs to push one position below. In that case, Shane Watson also should come in at No. 4 as that is where he is most effective.
Their bowling attack looks decent, but they need to understand the gravity of the situation. The bowlers need to up the ante. They have two huge games ahead of them — one against Pakistan and the other against India.
The only way they can make it to the semi-final comfortably is by winning these two matches, and this won't be easy.
Squads
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (c), Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal (wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Aamer, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Peter Nevill, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa
ICC World T20 2016 Pakistan vs Australia schedule: Date: Friday, March 25.
Time: 3 p.m. IST (2.30 p.m. PST, 3.30 p.m. BST, 9.30 a.m. GMT, 4.30 a.m. ET).
Venue: PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
TV listings: India: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD 3.Bangladesh: Bangladesh TV and Star Sports. Pakistan: PTV. UK: Sky Sports 2. USA and Canada: Willow TV. Hong Kong and Singapore: Star Cricket. Malaysia: Astro Cricket HD.Middle East and North Africa: OSN Sports Cricket HD. Australia: Fox Sports 3. New Zealand: Sky Sport 1. South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport 2.
