Desert storm!

Is the Pakistani bubble going to burst or will they go all the way to lift the trophy There are many who feel that they may have peaked too soon and the law of averages might catch up with them Pakistan are the only team to enter the knockouts of the T20 World Cup with a clean slate winning all their five games convincinglyObviously they have the momentum as they take on Australia in the second semifinal here today Ever since they defeated India they have gone from strength to strength For many it seems the going is too good to lastlsquoGreat commitmentrsquoBabar Azam amp Co would obviously want to prove the skeptics wrong and their coach Mathew Hayden strongly feels that the team have shown great commitment that should hold them in good stead during the business end of the tournamentldquoFrom a Pakistani cricket point of view wersquore extremely excited to be coming into the knockouts with terrific momentum fantastic energy and great optimism as well Wersquove got a squad of players here that are ready to perform and are ready to take on not only the semifinals but should we Inshallah get beyond that the finalsrdquo the former Australian opener opinedAustralian captain Aaron Finch however discounted the momentum factor to influence the result in the knockouts ldquoI donrsquot think that momentum is something that really goes overmdashin a tournament like this I donrsquot think it carries over a huge amount because yoursquore playing a totally different opposition different conditions Itrsquos going to be a different wicket again I donrsquot think you can read too much into anything like thatrdquo said FinchAlso Read T20 WC semis Hope we can create a big upset says NZs Trent BoultThe toss factorFinch also discounted the toss affecting the outcome of the game ldquoWhen it comes to finals it doesnrsquot make too much of a difference to be honest I believe getting runs on the board especially in a final can be really beneficial Wersquove talked about it Wersquore confident that we can win if we happen to bat first or secondrdquo But there is no doubt the spinners are going to have a crucial role with probably Pakistan having an edgeSo do Pakistan really have an edge over Australia Finch countered that by saying ldquoIn terms of Pakistani spinners theyrsquove had some really good success obviously with Imad Wasim bowling in the Powerplay predominantly and then Shadab Khan throughout the middleoverstheyrsquove been excellentldquoWersquove been really happy with how Adam Zampa has been going Hersquos bowled brilliantly throughout this tournament Hersquos taken big wickets at crucial times He gets good players out Glenn Maxwell has chipped in and done really well for the overs that hersquos bowledldquoYeah thatrsquos the spinners just a part of whatrsquos going to come down to a really close battle no doubtrdquo Finch said Finch is bang on as there can be no denying that it will be a hardfought contest with Australia in search of an elusive T20 title and Pakistan desperate to triumph in their socalled backyardPCB chief Babar doesnrsquot need to do anything different v AusBabar Azam has led Pakistan team well in the ongoing T20 World Cup and doesnrsquot need to do anything differently in the semifinal against Australia PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said ldquoSo far the Pakistan team has impressed us well with their consistent performances I donrsquot think Babar needs to do anything differently against Australia The team should just remain motivated and play fearlesslyrdquo Ramiz saidHayden set for lsquounusualrsquo reunion with friend and rival Justin LangerMatthew HaydenMatthew Hayden and Justin Langer who formed one of Test cricketrsquos most enduring and destructive opening partnerships will briefly become rivals on Thursday when Pakistan tackle Australia for a place in the Twenty20 World Cup final Both now aged 50 their competitive natures have found new outletsmdashHayden as batting consultant with Pakistan and Langer as Australiarsquos head coach ldquoItrsquos a very unusual feelingrdquo admitted Hayden on Wednesday ldquoI was a warrior for Australian cricket over two decades so that does give me the benefit of having wonderful insights not only into these players but also into the culture of cricket in Australiardquo10No of matches won by teams chasing at Dubai in the ongoing T20 World Cup16No of consecutive T20I matches Pakistan have won in the UAE Their winning streak started in 2016 with a 30 win over West IndiesAlso Read May commentate in 5th IndiaEngland Test Ravi Shastri