Australia captain Aaron Finch admits his batsmen must deal with the threat of Pakistan’s spinners if they want to prevail in the T20 series.
Shadab Khan leads Pakistan’s attack in the spin department after missing out on the Test series while all-rounders Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez are expected to test the men in gold.
The last time Australia faced Shadab, the 20-year-old took two wickets in the tri-series final in Harare. And Finch insists the batsmen cannot afford to be sloppy against spin and expects Shadab and Wasim, who returns to the set-up after some impressive domestic displays, to cause problems.
“Shadab’s a world-class spinner,” said the opening batsman, whose side beat UAE on Monday.“I thought we played him really well in Harare on a wicket that was spinning, especially towards the end of that tri-series. Their spinners play a big part in their plan and we have to play well against them to be in with a chance.”
Halki Phulki Bhook Main Halka Phulka TUC.
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Sarfraz Ahmed and Aaron Finch Unveilled Pak vs Aus T20 TUC Trophy. 1st Match of Series Will Be Played Tomorrow at Abu Dhabi.#PAKvAUS #Cricket #T20 #T20Series #AbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/ObAdbGuBKw
He added: “Imad is a very good bowler. He bowled well against us in the past in T20s and particularly with the new ball, he has a lot of skills. He has been playing good cricket recently and he’s someone we have to play well against.”
Unlike their Test side, the Australians have plenty of fire-power with big hitters Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short and Finch all capable of taking the game away from Pakistan.
Chris Lynn also falls into that bracket after scoring more than 3,000 runs in T20s. The right-hander, who has been plagued with injuries, is set to make only his 12th appearance in the shortest format for Australia but Finch says he’s been encouraged by Lynn’s work ethic.
“He played nicely yesterday against the UAE,” he said. “He has been injured for quite a while but he is feeling great at the moment and it’s great to have him back.”
He added: “We have some fantastic hitters of the ball. I think defensive bowling is probably as important as batting. If you take wickets in the powerplay, it tends to win you games. We will have our game plans on how we approach the game. But both sides are very attacking and have plenty of power.”
