PAKISTAN V AUSTRALIA: AUSSIES HOLDING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE

Pakistan v Australia: Aussies holding the psychological edge

Pakistan and Australia will face-off in what is probably the most important encounter of group A of the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2011 at Colombo. Even though both Pakistan and Australia have already qualified for the quarter-finals, it is still an extremely crucial fixture for these two nations as a win could help these teams gain the top position in their pool.

The Aussies have had a fantastic time in World Cup cricket since the last 15 years as they have won 34 matches on the trot. They would love to make it 35 against Pakistan; but ironically Kangaroos lost their last World Cup match against the green shirts back in 1999.

The Green shirts are a dangerous unit which can upset any team on a given day, but the Aussies have a huge psychological advantage over them because of past records.

Since 2002, Pakistan have not beaten the Aussies in an ODI series and their record against the defending champions has been dismal. It was only in 2010 that Pakistan defeated Australia 2-0 in the T-20 series and then went on to level the subsequent test series.

The Kangaroos might not be as strong as they used to be about three years back, but they are still one of the best teams in the business. Their bowling has been heavily criticised for lacking the fire-power but the comeback of Shaun Tait and Brett Lee has definitely strengthened Ricky Ponting’s armory. Considering the fact that the Aussie spinners have been quite disappointing in the tournament so far, Ponting would be trying to make inroads in the Pakistani batting lineup through his fast bowlers who have shown good form in the tournament so far.

The return of Michael Hussey has surely bolstered the Aussie middle order which was a little vulnerable in the initial part of the World Cup. Hussey has always performed well against the green shirts and who can forget his knock in the semi-final of the ICC World T20 2010 in West Indies where he snatched victory from Pakistan’s jaws. Hussey is going to be a player to watch out for Pakistan.

Pakistan on the other hand, would love to avoid a situation where they have to face the best team of the other group in the quarter-final. In order to do that, the green shirts have to beat the Aussies which could mean that Pakistan will finish at the top of group A before the knockout stage.

Shoaib Akhtar’s announcement to retire from international cricket after the World Cup has diverted the attention somewhat but Pakistani management should make sure that the players are concentrating on the all-important game. A win against Australia before the quarter-finals will boost Pakistan’s confidence and they would feel that they can beat any team in the tournament.

Shahid Afridi has struggled to get the combination right for his team as there has been a criticism about the exclusion of Saeed Ajmal from the playing 11. Ajmal is most likely to return against the Aussies as Afridi hinted after the game against Zimbabwe that Pakistan will attack the Aussies with their spinners.

This could turn out to be magical fixture for the cricket lovers all around the world as both Australia and Pakistan are in a hunt to prove their dominance in group A. Let’s hope that the green shirts play up to their potential and give a tough time to the defending champions because in that case it could turn out to be the match of the tournament.