George Bailey all but conceded that his team had little or no chance of winning the much coveted World T20 cup if they were to play the sort of cricket that they displayed on Wednesday. In what was an imminently forgettable night, the batsmen simply failed to come in terms to be bowled out for just 89, their second lowest score in a T20I match and their lowest against Pakistan. They have only two matches remaining to find their form ahead of the extravaganza and should go into Friday's match in a much better frame of mind if they are to dethrone Pakistan. 

 

On the other hand, Pakistan continued their build up to the World T20 with an emphatic performance. The batsmen had very little to do after the fine show of the bowlers, the catching was safe and the ground fielding was up to standards. With tougher tests awaiting them in Sri Lanka, Pakistan will hope to clinch the series with a similar effort in the second match. 

 

Pakistan: Despite being a neutral venue, the Middle East has turned out to be a profitable avenue for Pakistan. They have acclimatized to the conditions well and with the pitches on the slower side, the spin strategy has worked wonders. A nation known for its fearsome pacers, Pakistan has now turned out to be a land of spin. If Saeed Ajmal is the magician, Rehman has turned out to be ideal foil. Mohd. Hafeez has quietly bowled himself into a world class off-spinner while newcomer, Raza Hasan impressed in the first outing. The batsmen did not get much of a chance to show the wares and will be hoping to make a better fist of it in the second match. 

 

Australia: Things have not yet reached the stage of desperation for the Australians as yet, but another loss will rekindle discussions on the team. For all the success in international cricket, Australia are craving for one trophy that has not adorned their cupboard, the World T20. Wednesday night's performance was a shocker but Australia have shown previously that they have the ability to fightback from disasters. They will need loads of it if they are to mount a serious challenge to Pakistan. 

 

Australia responded to the massive defeat in the 1st T20 by ringing in three changes. Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus and Glenn Maxwell have been left out in favor of Mitchell Starc, Brad Hogg and Dan Christian. 

 

Shahid Afridi has not yet recovered from the hand injury which he suffered in the final ODI. After a dominating performance on Wednesday, Pakistan need not tinker with their squad unless they want to experiment ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

 

 

Our win will help us in the World Twenty20, we need to carry the winning momentum on into the World Twenty20 - Mohammad Hafeez wants his team to continue with the momentum. 

 

I still think we can win it. Definitely. Absolutely. I certainly don't think we'd win if we played like we did today - George Bailey wants his team to pull up their socks.

Pakistan (From): Mohammad Hafeez(c), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal(w), Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Arafat

Australia (From): Shane Watson, David Warner, Michael Hussey, George Bailey(c), David Hussey, Cameron White, Matthew Wade(w), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Clint McKay, Daniel Christian, Alister McDermott, Mitchell Starc, Brad Hogg, Michael Clarke