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Dubai: There'll be more than just pride on the line for Australia when they take on Pakistan in their dead-rubber third and final Twenty20 International at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
When a team goes 2-0 up in a three-match series, as Pakistan have already done in this one, the salvaging of pride is usually the main aim for their vanquished opponent.
But the Aussies have a lot more than just their pride and 'finishing the series on a good note' at stake in the United Arab Emirates.
Avoiding the embarrassment of being ranked lower than a non-Test playing nation in the shortest form of the game is what Australia are desperately striving for now.
As it stands Ireland, yes that's right Ireland, are ranked higher than the Aussies.
Never mind the fact that Bangladesh are also deemed to be a superior outfit than George Bailey's men right now, or that Zimbabwe are the only country keeping them from the foot of the ICC Twenty20 Championship table - Ireland (ninth) are currently ahead of Australia (10th) on the pecking order.
The good news for Australia is that a win against Pakistan on Tuesday will see them overtake the Irish in ninth spot.
But make no mistake, Pakistan will ensure the Aussies are going to have fight hard to do so.
After being crushed by seven wickets in the first match, Australia rebounded well in the second only to be denied victory in the cruellest of fashions courtesy of a thrilling super over after the encounter ended in a tie - just the sixth one in history.
So the Aussies' performance curve underwent a dramatic spike, but whether it continues on an upward trend on Tuesday remains to be seen.
Following on from their disastrous first match, which saw them get bowled out for a paltry 89, Australia benefitted from some improved performances with the bat on Saturday from George Bailey (42), Shane Watson (33) and Mike Hussey (23) while Dave Warner chipped in with another valuable knock (31) after being a rare shining light on Thursday (22).
But the Aussies will need more from the likes of David Hussey, Matthew Wade and Cameron White who have scored just 36 runs between them in the first two matches.
And there hasn't been much joy for Australia's bowlers either with Pakistan damningly losing just seven wickets so far in the series.
Conversely, the Pakistani bowlers have had far less issues adapting to the humid conditions with spinners Saeed Ajmal and Sohail Tanvir, in particular, dominating proceedings so far with four wickets each heading into the final match and once again loom as key players in deciding the result.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez (45), Nasir Jamshed (45) and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal (43 not out) all starred in the last match with the bat and after dining out on the Australian attack, Bailey will need to devise a plan to limit their influence.
Because if he doesn't, the luck of the Irish will definitely be needed if Australia are to exit the bottom two of the world rankings as they aim to head into next week's ICC World Twenty20 on a positive note.
Teams from:
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Asad Shafiq, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Arafat
Australia: David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, George Bailey (captain), David Hussey, Matthew Wade (wk), Daniel Christian, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Brad Hogg, Michael Clarke, Xavier Doherty, Alister McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Ben Hilfenhaus
Pitch and conditions
The third match to be played on the same surface means there will be greater wear and tear, and less pace for bowlers and batsmen to work with.
Stats and trivia
Match facts
Monday September 10, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 2000 local (1600 GMT)
