On Thursday, Australia overcame Pakistan by five wickets to go to the final of the ICC T20 World Cup. Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman slammed the early fifties as Pakistan scored a competitive 176 for four after being put in to bat.
Rizwan opened the innings with 67 off 52 balls, hitting three boundaries and four sixes, while Zaman stayed unbeaten on 55 off 32 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. Rizwan opened the innings with 71 runs alongside skipper Babar Azam (39), before adding 72 runs with Zaman. Mitchell Starc had two wickets for 38 runs for Australia.
New Zealand could very beat Australia in the finals
As Australia chased the total, David Warner struck 49, Matthew Wade slammed a 17-ball unbeaten 41, and Marcus Stoinis was not out on 40 from 31 deliveries as they reached it with an over to spare. With statistics of 4/26, Pakistan’s top bowler was Shadab Khan. On Sunday, Australia will meet New Zealand in the final.
In this article, we look at 5 reasons why Australia will fail to win the T20I World Cup.
1. Middle-Order Out of Form
Aaron Finch will be concerned about Glenn Maxwell’s form in the middle order. Maxwell had a strong IPL 2021 season going into the T20 World Cup, but his form has dwindled in this event. Maxwell’s previous six performances were as follows: 0, 0, 6, 5, 18, and 7. Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, and Marcus Stoinis have all struggled to remain consistent.
2. Over Dependency on Warner and Finch
The form of openers David Warner and Aaron Finch is critical to Australia’s victory. Their middle order is struggling, and if the openers falter in the final, Australia will be in trouble. Warner was out of form for a while but has come back strong, amassing 236 runs at an average of 47.20 and hitting two fifties. The Australians’ prospects of winning the match are determined on how well these two play in the final.
3. Death Over Bowling Hasn’t Been upto the Mark
Australia’s inconsistent death bowling has hurt them in the tournament so far. They have leaked runs and have failed to pick crucial wickets at the death overs. Even against Pakistan they were very poor in the final overs. Australia needs to sort the death overs issue to win the final against New Zealand.
4. 5th Bowler Has Struggled
Australia has won five of the last six games. The only game in which the side used five specialist bowlers was against England when Mitchell Marsh was replaced by Ashton Agar. Following that, they quickly reverted to the seven-four combination that had performed effectively in previous games. This means Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis will have to share four overs. Marsh has bowled four overs and given 27 runs, while Maxwell has bowled eleven overs at 6.54 runs per over. Maxwell is typically employed as a match-up against left-handed batsmen.
5. New Zealand had better momentum coming up to the World Cup
Prior to the T20 World Cup, the Kiwis won their first ICC championship by defeating India in the finals of the inaugural ICC World Test Championships, which were held in England. The Kiwis triumphed against all other Test-playing nations, establishing themselves as global cricket’s Test heavyweights. The Kane Williamson-led squad also advanced to the final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 after defeating India in the semifinals. New Zealand, who reached the T20 World Cup final, is also ranked first in the ICC Men’s Team rankings in Test and ODI cricket. The New Zealanders dominate the ODI standings, followed by England and Australia.
