After Australia’s narrow loss to India, the gigantic wave Australia were riding has ended, and their bubble has burst. Pakistan, on the other hand, are continuing to recall the memories of their 1992 World Cup victory, with a loss to West Indies, a win, and a no result the same first three results from 1992. However, thankfully for Australia, if 1992 is to be repeated then Pakistan needs to lose the next two, and that includes this match.
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Five Fearless Predictions:
(1) David Warner will score quickly
It is no secret that, just before his year-long ban, David Warner was working on changes to his technique to make him more like great test batsmen like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli and less like the basher he had always been. It’s not that he meant to score at a strike rate of 66 so much as he plays less risky shots now. Higher average, lower strike rate. Just the same, after all of the criticism of his low strike rate in the match against India, he is bound to show his critics that he can still score quickly.
(2) Steve Smith will do well
The Smith and Warner show has been a fixture so far, and when one fails the other succeeds. Since Warner has some criticism that may affect his batting, I am picking Smith to pick up the slack.
(3) Pakistan will try to bounce Australia out
If West Indies can do it, and then do it again against South Africa, then Pakistan should be able to do it twice as well, and they sure will try. Whether it will work is another issue entirely, as Australia are expecting it.
(4) It will be low scoring
With so much of the focus on bowling, and both teams relying more on bowling than batting, it is hard to imagine a score much above 300 for either side, and I am picking about 250 to 280 as a mean score.
(5) Australia will win
The funny thing is that, with all of this talk about 1992 going around, especially in the Pakistan camp, Pakistan are supposed to lose their 4th and 5th matches, and, with this being their 4th match, they are meant to lose it. Australia would have been favourites anyway, but that superstition should make it even more likely.
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