The only T20I between Australia and Pakistan, at the end of the
long, gruelling tour will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The Pakistanis have yet to win a single game on tour, having lost the Test series
0-3 and the ODI series 0-5 to their more strong opposition in Australia. Now,
the T20I is their last chance to redeem some faith amongst the fans.
The Pakistanis have been hit hard in more ways than one. For one, they have
had the results going totally against them. Of course, the other on-field incident
that would have shaken them apart would have been the streaker invasion, who
slammed the Pakistani batsman Khalid Latif down and had to be captured
by the police. Apart from that, the chief of selectors has resigned back home
in Pakistan.
Click for Live Score Card of Australia vs PakistanBut, the biggest piece of news doing rounds, is that their T20 captain would
not be a part of the side which will take field. And the reason is a rather
stupid manner in which Afridi tried to tamper with the ball by putting it inside
his mouth while the Pakistanis were fielding.
This means, that without Mohammad Yousuf as the T20 captain after his
issues with the coach in Australia, and with Younis Khan having given up on
the captaincy, there aren't too many players left with the worthy credentials
to lead the side. Shoaib Malik could be the leader, but not too many are happy
with his leadership qualities, and one may see someone totally different like
a Kamran Akmal leading out the Pakistani side for the first time in the history
of their cricket.
The Aussies are a changed side as well. Ricky Ponting has retired from
the T20 format of the game, whereas the rest of them see a lot of new faces.
Michael Clarke will lead the side, whereas Cameron White will be the vice-captain
of the team. Also seen in the squad will be the likes of Travis Birt and Steven
Smith. Birt is a hard hitting batsman and Smith is an all-rounder from New South
Wales. Guys like Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait will be also
seen in the squad, as would the likes of Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh and Dave
Warner.
What could be interesting is which two of the three open the innings for the
Aussies; Watson, Marsh or Warner. Also, the Aussies have chosen not to pick
up Nathan Hauritz, in order to help him concentrate on the longer formats
of the game and not get away by the T20 cricket. It should be an interesting
match-up but something tells me that it could very well be 9-0 to Australia!
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