All eyes on Dubai as Pakistan face Australia in semi-final clash tonight

DUBAI: Pakistan will have their hands full tonight as they take on a formidable Australian side, led by Aaron Finch, with both teams eyeing a spot in the T20 World Cup final.

Australia have qualified through the “Group of Death” and have so far dominated the tournament, apart from a disappointing loss to England earlier and a narrow win over the Proteas.

Australia defeated South Africa by 5 wickets in their opening game. Later, they also defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets and Bangladesh by 8 wickets. Then, they defeated West Indies by 8 wickets. Australia’s only defeat arrived against England by 8 wickets.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have been might consistent in the tournament and won all five matches that they have played. They have had different five Player of the Matches so far, which means the team is chipping in with each match that they play.

While there are concerns about Fakhar Zaman and Hassan Ali, both are being backed by Azam and the team management. Azam exudes an air of confidence to announce – two days before the semi-final – that he’ll play an unchanged team. And he has rightly doubled down on Hassan.

“As a captain, I can’t even think about sitting Hassan out,” he told the media. “He’s my main bowler. He’s my match winner. He’s won many matches, many tournaments for Pakistan.”