Pakistan target clean-sweep in final T20I

Overview
Pakistan v Australia
3rd T20I
Sunday 28 October, 08:00 PM (local), 04:00 PM (GMT)
Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Australia were a lot better in the second T20I in Dubai after enduring a disaster in the first game – they were bowled out for 89 chasing 156 – but it still wasn't enough to keep Pakistan from winning another T20I series – their 10th in succession.

Australia's batting has been an issue, especially on slower wickets. Despite Glenn Maxwell's 52, Australia still faltered in a modest chase of 147 after the top three managed just 12 runs between them.

After the debacle in the first game, Aaron Finch said he had to shoulder the responsibility for Australia's failure at the top. However, he was unable to turn things around in the second ODI, falling for a 10-ball 3. D'Arcy Short and Chris Lynn didn't get past single-digit scores either.

Mitchell Marsh managed to get a partnership going with Maxwell, and as one of the more established members of the side, he'll want to lead the way on Sunday. Maxwell's knock, meanwhile, was the one bright spot for Australia, and his ability against spin will come in handy in the final T20I.

Meanwhile Pakistan's bowling seems to be getting stronger by the day, with youngsters like Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan coming to the party. Imad Wasim, in particular, has been extra-ordinary. He followed up his four-for in the first game with a miserly spell of 4-1-8-1 in the second.

That said, in the bowling department, Australia too have looked solid. Nathan Coulter-Nile, who seemed like the only weak-link in the first game, turned things around completely to take 3/18, and his exploits were instrumental in restricting Pakistan.

Coulter-Nile has also been impressive with the bat, and that bodes well for Australia. He could go a long way towards adding batting depth to the Australian limited-overs side, and they will hope to see further evidence of his all-round abilities on Sunday.

Their bowlers will look to exploit Pakistan's weakness with the bat. Only Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez have made major contributions so far. If Australia can dismiss one of them early, they could restrict Pakistan to an even lower total.

Pakistan need their seniors, like Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed, to guide by example in the middle-order. Lower down, Ashraf, who has been excellent with the ball in his short international career so far, has been less than impressive with the bat. He will want to get into the skin of a true all-rounder.

Key players:

Babar Azam (Pakistan): Among those who have scored at least 200 runs in the shortest format, Azam comfortably has the highest average – a whopping 57.00. To have maintained that average over course of 22 innings speaks volumes of his skill.

In this series, where most batsmen have struggled, Azam has already raked up scores of 68* and 45. He will be keen to leave another impression in the final T20I.

Glenn Maxwell (Australia): The all-rounder has a pretty good record in Asia – he averages 35.5, and gave further evidence of his abilities in the second match with that half-century. He has developed the skill to switch gears rather than hit out right from the beginning, and that temperamental change can be extremely beneficial in these conditions. He can bowl too, if necessary. He narrowly missed getting Australia over the line in the previous game, and that is something he'll want to set right.

Conditions:

It's expected to be warm and dry, but there is a small possibility of showers. The pitch will have something in it for spinners, and the quicks will be able to exploit the variable bounce. Batting could be a bit difficult.

Squads

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c, wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asif Ali, Hassan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Waqas Maqsood, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hussain Talat, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitch Marsh (vc), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa