Pakistan vs Australia - Oz Aim For Semis in CT

Centurion: A semifinal berth well within their grasp despite the wash-out against India, defending champions Australia take on a rejuvinated Pakistan in their final group A match of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday.

If Australia win, they would book their place in the semifinal no matter what happens in the India-West Indies match.

But if they lose and India win, Ricky Ponting's world champion side has to ensure that its net run rate remains ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men as the two teams would be tied on three points each in such a scenario.

The Australians have had a reasonably good tournament, wining the opening match against the West Indies before dominating the abandoned game against India.

Ponting has led from the front in both the matches, scoring a couple of crucial fifties and putting together match-saving partnerships in tough conditions.

The biggest concern for the Aussies would be all-rounder Shane Watson. Pushed to the opening slot some time ago, the big-hitting right-hander has come a cropper in the tournament so far, managing two ducks.

The other opener Tim Paine has, however, adjusted well to the slot. Paine batted through a testing period in the match against India to make a fifty and stabilize the Australian innings.

Mike Hussey also seems to have rediscovered some of his lost form, against India, by scoring a morale-boosting half century.

The bowlers didn't get a chance last night as the heavy downpour forced abandonment of the match. But Brett Lee and Co. were not too impressive against the West Indians in the opening match, in which the rag-tag Caribbean team gave a mighty scare to the world champions.

The Centurion track has been a batting paradise and it would take quite an effort from the Aussie bowlers to contain an in-form Pakistani line-up.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have little to be concerned about. They are already in the semis and would be aiming to get some match practice before the last-four stage begins on October 2.

Skipper Younis Khan, who played with a fractured finger in the crucial win over India, might consider resting himself ahead of the knockout round.

It's a match that would decide the semifinal complexion despite the fact that one of the teams has absolutely nothing at stake.

Team news

Australia: His Champions Trophy plans are covered in Tip-ex, with mainstays Nathan Bracken and Michael Clarke sent home with injury. His bowling days may well be numbered as he attempts to manage the injury.

Squad (likely): Shane Watson, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle.

Pakistan: Younis foreshadowed that Pakistan would seek to give game time to several fringe squad members ahead of the semi-final, singling out Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Rao and Asif. Asif has not represented Pakistan since his arrest at Dubai airport in June, 2008.

Squad (likely): Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan (capt), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Asif.

Pitch and conditions
Centurion has been considered the more spin-friendly of the Champions Trophy surfaces thus far, although it remains to be seen whether those characteristics will remain after Monday's match-cancelling deluge. The Pakistan spin combination have taken a combined seven wickets at the CT to date at barely four runs-per-over, and are again looming as potent strike weapons.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won nine of their last 12 ODIs against Pakistan, including a 3-2 series victory in their most recent series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
• As of Tuesday morning, Saeed Ajmal was the best-performed spinner at the Champions Trophy with four wickets at 11.75. His economy rate is 3.66.
• Ricky Ponting has been in imposing form since arriving in South Africa. He has scored half-centuries in both of Australia's pool matches against West Indies and India at an average of 72.

Match facts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Start time 0930 local, 0730 GMT, 12:30 Pak

Head 2 Head