Pakistan aim to bounce back in Dubai

Joy Chakravarty 06:15 09/10/2014
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  • Big blow: Pakistan’s attack has been badly hit with Junaid Khan being ruled out of the entire series.

    The fact that Pakistan cricket­ers sweated it out under lights last night (Wednesday) at Dubai International Stadium even as rivals Australia enjoyed the luxury of taking a complete day off, just shows the state of the two teams ahead of the crucial second one-dayer on Friday.

    George Bailey’s team was like a well-oiled machine as they thrashed Pakistan by 93 runs in the opening tie of the three-match ODI series at Sharjah International Sta­dium on Tuesday.

    And while Pakistan bowlers put up a decent show in that match, restricting Australia to 255-8 when a 300-plus score looked inevitable at one stage, they were let down once again by some very poor bat­ting and were bowled out for 162.

    Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, after the Twenty20 International defeat in Dubai, had spoken of the need to bat out the 50 overs in the one-dayers.

    But if the pitch rolled out for the Twenty20 game was any indication, and there is a distinct possibility that the same one would be used on Friday, that would seem like Mis­sion Impossible.

    That pitch turned square from almost the first delivery of the match, and facing the spinners has been Pakistan’s biggest challenge in recent times.

    Glenn Maxwell and debutant Cameron Boyce shared five wickets in the T20 win, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon and Maxwell picked up four in the one-dayer. However, the Australian spinners are not the only problem for Pakistan.

    Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson demonstrated time and again in Sharjah that he can extract pace from any pitch.

    One particular delivery stands out in memory as Johnson dug one short at 145kmph, and even if Brad Haddin was twice his height, that bouncer would have cleared him easily.

    Already reeling under the effects of losing all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez, which captain Misbah-ul Haq said had completely ruined the balance of the team, Pakistan were dealt another injury blow when it was revealed yesterday (Wednes­day) that medium pacer Junaid Khan injured his knee while prac­ticing ahead of the Sharjah one-dayer and has been ruled out of the remaining ODIs and the two Test matches.

    The 24-year-old Junaid, who has been bowling well recently, twisted his knee in practice and, after an MRI scan, was advised to rest for up to six weeks.

    Team manager Moin Khan said: “Junaid injured a cartilage in his knee during nets on Monday and after an MRI, he has been advised a four-to-six-weeks rest. He will re­ceive treatment back home.

    “It’s another big blow to us as he is one of our best bowlers in one-days and Tests.”

    There is a possibility that the Pa­kistan bowling line-up would be the same as it was in Sharjah.

    Young spinner Raza Hasan, who impressed immensely in the T20I defeat, might get a look-in if Misbah wants to bolster his spin option, but clearly it is the batting which is his pressing problem at the moment.

    Bailey would dearly want to wrap up the series with a win on Friday. It would be the third consecutive ODI series win for Australia in the UAE, and would be a perfect boost for them ahead of the 2015 Cricket World Cup at home.

    If they can beat Pakistan in con­ditions as alien as these, they surely will be a handful Down Under. 

    MATCH ZONE

    Pitch
    The playing surface is once again expected to assist the spinners. The bounce will not be disnconcerting but batsmen will have their tasks cut out.

    Weather
    A warm and sunny day is forecast for Friday. The evening skies are also expected to be clear with the temperaturs dipping to 30° degrees from the day’s high of 36.

    Teams
    Pakistan (likely): Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Amin, Sohaib Maqsood, Misbahul- Haq (capt), Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Raza Hasan, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Irfan

    Australia (likely): Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, George Bailey (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

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