In a way, the rain in the first game did Pakistan a favor. During the ODI leg, Pakistan’s batting lineup managed to avoid testing itself by hiding behind the wonders bowlers were doing. A truncated match, that too on a damp ground, which was already very conducive to stroke-making, meant that the bowlers would have not much say in shaping the game and both teams needed to accelerate with the bat. Australia did that. They shifted gears and went all guns blazing. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan did not. Aggressive hitting has never been Pakistan’s forte. And playing with a bunch of youngsters, who had never set a foot down under before this tour, did not make it any easier. In all fairness, what challenge could these rookie batters pose to someone like Glenn Maxwell who was engineered for this format specifically? During the game, he swept every ball coming towards him as if he lives off them. Something that hurt Pakistan throughout the game, though they would have been grateful that the game was cut short to seven overs only.
Team Overview:
Sydney Cricket Ground is a patch of sub-continent that wormholed its way into Australia. Offering more favour to spinners than other venues in the country means Pakistan can not get away with not fielding a frontline spinner this time. They do have some inexperienced tweakers in the squad, along with Salman Ali Agha, who, although has only played one T20I, Pakistan would find it easier to rely on him. The batting needs some work, this is not news to anyone. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were initially slotted as openers during the toss but the Sahibzada Farhan was sent in to open with the Skipper. It is not entirely a failed concept to get a flexible top-order tailored to what the conditions demand and Pakistan might just adopt that.
Glenn Maxwell transitioned from departing without troubling the scorers in ODIs to forcing the crowd to duck for covers in the first T20I. Australian middle order is far too dynamic in the shortest format to be contained easily. On top of that, Adam Zampa in Sydney would be a treat to watch in Sydney (if you are the batter facing him, look away). The hosts might want to go into the second T20I unchanged. Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis were class apart. With a menacing calm, they ran through Pakistan as if they had been rehearsing for this game for years. Ellis judged Pakistan’s misreading the pace perfectly and used his slower balls to trick them into giving their wickets. He will hope to pair this skill with Sydney’s love for pace-off deliveries in the second game as well.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Pakistan and Australia have played 26 shortest-format games against each other, with both teams winning 12 matches each. Two games ended without any result. If Australia win this game, they will bag the series as well.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Sydney is an outlier among the Australian venues. Or perhaps a hybrid between Australian and Asian conditions. The surface has true bounce and a flat wicket, in fact, more flat than many grounds in the country. But batters would need to respect the new ball. Spinners and bowlers who know how to take pace off will find plenty of help but if it rains things can get gloomy for them, though there is a little chance for that to happen.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tamasha App, Tapmad A sports
Australia: Foxtel, Kayo Sports
India: Star Sports 1, Hotstar app
UK: Sky Sports
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
USA: Willow TV
