| In the qualification stakes, this match does not hold as great a significance as an Australia-Pakistan clash might be expected to have. Scratch the surface though, and it is clear that neither will any of these two teams seek or give a quarter, nor are they about to approach the match with anything other than a full commitment to win it. The losing team here will have a high probability of facing India or South Africa in the quarter-finals, and while both Pakistan and Australia aren't teams that lack self-belief, they would undeniably prefer easier opposition. Whichever team wins this match will top Group A. Pakistan: Shoaib Akthar is on his last legs and that should be reason enough for most teams to fear Pakistan even more. Akhtar loves the centre stage and the drama of a grand finale is likely to be irresistible to him. He will thus, spare no effort to ensure that the stage is grand, which means batsmen the world over had better watch out if he is included in the eleven. Pakistan have had one implosion so far in the World Cup when a Kamran Akmal-aided Ross Taylor tore into them. However, apart from that, they have been efficient sometimes and fabulous other times. Umar Akmal is fit again, and as their best middle-order batsman, his availability is crucial. Pakistan's opening combination has not been clicking, and it is vital that the middle order be strong when up against Australia's pace attack. With Umar available, the trio of Younis Khan, Misbah ul Haq and Umar provide a solid backbone. Bowling continues to be Pakistan's strength, though somewhat surprisingly their lead bowler has been Shahid Afridi rather than Umar Gul or Akhtar. Australia: Australia haven't looked as awe-inspiring as they did in 2003 and 2007, but despite that, they have been the only team to stay unbeaten in the tournament. The last time Australia lost a World Cup match was to Pakistan, way back in the league stages of the 1999 World Cup. Extending that winning streak will be Australia's first priority, and so far their bowling has helped them admirably. The trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson have bowled with pace and fire to unsettle all opposing batsmen. They can be taken for runs, as Hiral Patel of Canada showed, but more often than not, they have had the better of batsmen. Australia's hole in the middle order against spin has also been taken care of with the much publicized return of Michael Hussey. With Hussey and Clarke in the middle, and Watson at the top, Australia look good enough to overcome even captain Ricky Ponting's extended poor run with the bat. Australia have looked like a side in prime form, but that is also partly due to the fact that they haven't been pushed hard in any of their games so far. Head to Head: The overall Head to Head record is overwhelmingly in favour of Australia (52 to 29), but in World Cups, the two sides have competed on much more equal footing with Australia winning 4 and Pakistan winning 3 matches. Quotes: 'I had some great duels with Shoaib over the years. To this day I always said he is the fastest bowler I have faced in international cricket.' - Ricky Ponting was generous in his praise of Shoaib Akhtar. 'We have made some plans against them because they are very strong mentally and physically, so you will see in the game we will do something new against these guys.' - Shahid Afridi has his plans for Australia chalked out. | |
| Teams: | |
| Australia (From): Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(w), Ricky Ponting(c), Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Michael Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Shaun Tait, John Hastings, David Hussey, Tim Paine, Callum Ferguson | |
| Pakistan (From): Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal(w), Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi(c), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Asad Shafiq, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan |
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