Marsh sees Pakistan as perfect preparation for T20 World Cup

Australia are confident the short and interrupted prelude to their tour of Pakistan won't impact their output in the three-match T20I series or the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Captain Mitchell Marsh, along with seven other players in Australia's squad, played in the final of their domestic T20 tournament the Big Bash League in Perth, Western Australia on Sunday night.

While racing against the clock to acclimatise to the Pakistan conditions, the Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers players - who contested the BBL decider - have now joined the remaining members of the squad, who have been preparing in Dubai.

It means they will have spent limited time together before the series opener in Lahore on Thursday.

"I think one of the things about our group and most international teams is that preparation can look different for every tour," Marsh told media ahead of their opening match.

"The majority of the group have been preparing in Dubai, other guys have been preparing by playing games throughout the Big Bash.

"We're ready to go and we're looking forward to a great series."

The Aussies are wary of Pakistan's fast bowling stocks, along with the challenges presented by being the traveling team.

"We have great respect for them and look forward to the challenge of playing them here," he continued.

"Winning away from home is always hard and especially in conditions like this that can be foreign to us, so we're just really excited about the opportunity. We know that (Pakistan) have got some amazing cricketers, obviously (Babar Azam), Shaheen (Afridi), but we know that in these conditions, it's going to be a really good challenge and that's one that we're looking forward to.

"Pakistan has got a great history of fast bowlers. No doubt we'll be looking forward to that challenge, especially obviously (Afridi). He's an amazing bowler and it's going to be a great challenge for our group."

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is in the backdrop, but also front of mind for both Australia and Pakistan, with the tournament in India and Sri Lanka kicking off on February 7.

The Aussies are hoping to complete a climb back to the top of the T20I summit, after winning the 2021 edition of the tournament before falling short in 2022 and again in 2024, with India being the defending champions.

Australia still have five key players - Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell - rebuilding from respective fitness issues and will only join the squad in the sub-continent after the Pakistan tour, on the eve of the T20WC.

"This tour is really important for our World Cup preparations and we have got some guys that weren't quite ready to be here, they're back at home training and preparing to meet us in Sri Lanka, so no stress there from our end," said Marsh.

Pakistan, meantime, are also confident they have prepared well for their series against Australia.

“We have prepared really well for this series in the previous 10 days," said captain Salman Ali Agha.

"There are no weak opponents in T20 cricket and our focus is on executing our plans and playing smart, quality cricket. Having the experienced and senior players in the group is vital, it makes a big difference when you are trying to win a series.”

Australia tour of Pakistan:

First T20I: January 29: Lahore

Second T20I: January 31: Lahore

Third T20I: February 1: Lahore

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