Stadium: Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Mitchell Johnson is enjoying being the infantryman going out all guns blazing on his captain’s orders, rather than being a sniper, patiently plotting his attack.
Australia’s premier paceman, who made a dramatic return to form in the past couple of years, terrorizing batsmen the world over with his pace, has already proven to be the biggest challenge for Pakistan, even on the spin-friendly UAE pitches.
With figures of 3-24 in Sharjah and 3-40 in Dubai, the Queenslander is the highest wicket-taker in the first two matches of the ODI series, and is already looking forward to building on that when the final match is played in Abu Dhabi tonight, followed by the two Tests.
Captain George Bailey has had a very specific role for Johnson so far in the UAE, similar to what Michael Clarke assigns him in Tests – use him in short bursts, and let him go flat out in those two-three overs.
The moment a wicket falls, Johnson is brought back for a couple of overs to harass the new batsman with his express pace and bounce.
In the Dubai ODI on Friday, Johnson responded to Bailey’s calls in perfect fashion, removing Sarfraz Ahmed and Umar Akmal with the first balls of his new spells.
“It doesn’t always come off like that, but when it does, it excites you and gets your confidence up,” said Johnson who took 37 wickets in five Ashes Tests during England’s 5-0 loss Down Under.
“I’m pretty happy to go for the short spells again, especially in these hot conditions. I am getting my confidence back and things are going the way I wanted to; the rhythm and speed is pretty good.
“I am there to be the aggressor and still try and bowl and hit the wicket hard and bowl those bouncers as well. Even on these wickets, the plans don’t change for me.”
Johnson said he had to make a mental adjustment once the Australian team decided to use him for short spells. “The way that I have been used as a bowler in recent times has really suited the way I have bowled and I have really enjoyed the challenge of it all,” he said.
“Earlier, I did miss bowling the long spells and getting into that really good rhythm, but I have been able to change the way I think. I now just want to go out there and try and use the conditions and my weapons the best that I can.”
The bad news for batsmen is that Johnson is not planning to change anything in the near future, even though he is now 32.
“I don’t listen to age, I don’t believe in all that,” he said. “The role that I’ve got is short spells and I find it just gets the best out of me. I don’t know how long I’ll go for, but that’s what I am going to do.”
Another factor that has helped him in the UAE is the hint of reverse swing that he has been getting.
“If it didn’t reverse, it would have made it very difficult,” said Johnson. “We definitely got the ball to go just a little bit which was good. That definitely helps in these conditions with those kinds of batters used to these slower, spinning wickets.”
Looking forward to the final ODI, Johnson said there will be no let-up in Australia’s intensity, even though the fate of the series has been decided in their favour. “We will give it our best and go for a 3-0 win. That’s just the way we think,” he added.
Meanwhile, for Pakistan, it will be an important outing, if only to get a confidence boost ahead of the Test series. With the Abu Dhabi pitch supporting pacers, even the bowling is a worry for captain Misbah-ul Haq.
Pakistan lost Junaid Khan with an injury ahead of the first ODI, and Wahab Riaz is also in doubt after picking up a knee injury during the Dubai one-dayer.
Pitch
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium playing surface is usually a good surface to bat on and totals of 230-250 are par for the course. Spinners are always a threat in these conditions but interestingly left-arm pacers have held sway in recent games here.
Weather
The weather is expected to be warm and sunny in the earlier part of the match with temperatures hovering around 37°C. The night temperature will dip to 32°C and humidity is expected to be around 52 per cent. Teams will be advised to factor in the dew as well.
Teams
Australia (probable):David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, George Bailey (C), Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin (WK), Mitchell Johnson, Kane Richardson, Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott.
Pakistan (from): Ahmed Shehzad, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul- Haq (C), Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Raza Hasan, Zulfiqur Babar, Mohammad Irfan.
