Australia vs Pakistan | 1st T20 International - Statistical Preview

ByBodog India, SportsCafe Editor

11/02/2019

Riding the back of a 3-0 whitewash over Asian rivals Sri Lanka, Australia will eye a similar outcome, although the task is going to be tougher this time. With Bodog giving Pakistan slim chances of pulling off the 1st T20, they would have everything to play for in the three-match series.

Form guide

Australia - W-W-W-W-W-L-NR-W-L-L

Even though Australia are considered to be the powerhouse in World Cricket in any format, they haven’t quite mastered the art when it comes to the shortest format of the game. But they will leave no stone unturned in a bid for a maiden World T20 title in their own den next year. The Kangaroos have enjoyed promising results in their past 10 matches having won 6, lost 3 while the other yielded no result. The away series win to India with a 2-0 margin was laudable after they drew to similar foes 1-1 earlier at home. The loss to South Africa at home in a one-off T20 piled up the misery following the Pakistan tour where they were blanked 0-3 in the UAE. Although, the 3-0 win over Sri Lanka earlier this week will help them carry the momentum.

Pakistan - L-L-L-L-W-L-L-W-W-W

The Asian outfits are currently the top-ranked T20I nation in the world but are on the brink of losing its spot with the shambolic performances they have produced of late. Pakistan has lost 6 of their last 10 matches while winning the other four. The disastrous 0-3 loss to Sri Lanka at home after so many years for more than their passionate fans could bear. A 1-2 series loss away to South Africa was the beginning of the debacle which followed by a narrow defeat to England in Cardiff. The only silver lining for Pakistan remains the 3-0 demolition over New Zealand in the UAE in October 2018.

Head to head

Australia: 7, Pakistan: 12, NR: 1

Pakistan: 12, Australia: 7, NR: 1

Key batsmen

David Warner

After a one-and-a-half-year hiatus from International cricket, the flamboyant left-handed batsman has made a stunning comeback in the shortest format. In the recently-concluded T20 series against Sri Lanka earlier this week, Warner struck an unbeaten century to guide his team to a convincing win in the first clash. He followed it up with a 60-run knock in the second tie in Brisbane. Surprisingly, Warner hasn’t been able to replicate his form with the bat in the 12 matches he has played against Pakistan. Taking into consideration the recent form, Bodog is expecting the Aussie to top the batting chart in the first T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday after an extraordinary outing with the bat in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam has by far been the spine of the Pakistan batting line-up for the past two years across all formats, but his slump in the T20 series against Sri Lanka at home has been pretty disappointing. Saving that, the current world No.1 T20 batsman been in great form and has maintained an average of 49.61, which is incredible in T20 Internationals. Babar’s performance gets a huge boost when he plays against Australia. In the 3 matches he has played against Australia, he has averaged a massive 81.50 which includes two half-centuries. So it should not come as a surprise to you that Bodog has backed him up as the top scorer of Pakistan in the 1st T20I.

Bodog is expecting David Warner to make a spark once again with the bat for Australia, who do you think?

Key bowlers

Adam Zampa

The leg spinner has been around the International circuit for quite some time now but he is yet to establish himself as one of the best in the business. In the build-up to the 2020 T20 World Cup, Zampa could well make his presence felt, especially with the event taking place in his home country. Having picked up 5 wickets in the recently-concluded T20 International series against Sri Lanka, it is expected that he is also going to play a key role in the Pakistan series. His record against Pakistan is decent as well, having taken 4 wickets in as many matches. Even though Bodog is backing up Mitchell Starc as the pick of the bowlers, the spinner-friendly track at the Sydney Cricket Ground is going to favour Adam Zampa.

Mohammad Amir

Having started his international career at a tender age of 19, he was side-lined for five years for the infamous spot-fixing scandal. Unlike his age, which changed numbers, Amir’s hunger for perfection remained the same after all these years. The speedster tends to enjoy his best bowling spells against Australians, having scalped a total of 16 wickets in 7 matches at an astonishing average of 13.06. His recent outing against Sri Lanka was also pretty impressive, having picked 9 wickets in Pakistan’s 3-0 demolition by their Asian rivals. Bodog is convinced that Amir is the main threat to Australia in the opening fixture this weekend.

Venue Statistics

The Sydney Cricket Ground hosted 6 International matches while each featured Australia. The venue has been a happy hunting ground with the Aussies ending up on the winning side on of them. India is the only side to defeat them on the historic ground, once in November 2018 and the other back in 2016. While 221 has been the highest recorded total at the SCG, the records suggest that teams chasing have won more matches (4 out of 6) than teams batting first. Although, 5 out of 6 six times the captain has put the opposition in to bat after winning the toss. David Warner’s 124 against India is the highest individual score at the venue in T20 Internationals.

Bodog Prediction

Quite naturally Bodog has backed up Australia as the outright winners in the first T20 with David Warner as the top scorer. But, Mohammad Amir who is expected to shine with the ball can spoil Australia's party, but their batsmen need to step as well.

Bodog

Squads

Australia

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground

When to watch: November 3, 9 AM

Where to watch: Ten Network

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Predicted XIs