AUS vs PAK Match Preview- 2nd T20I, Pakistan tour of Australia 2024

Australia will be looking to clinch the ongoing T20I series against Pakistan when the two sides lock horns in the second game. The second T20I of the three-match AUS vs PAK T20I series will be taking place on Saturday (November 16) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia are leading the series after winning the first game by 29 runs. The rain-curtailed game was reduced to 7 overs per side. Australia scored 93/4 before restricting Pakistan to 64/9 to win the game comfortably.

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As Australia looks to clinch the series and Pakistan eyeing a series-leveling win, here is the preview for the AUS vs PAK T20I.

AUS vs PAK Match Preview- 2nd T20I, Pakistan tour of Australia 2024

AUS vs PAK 2nd T20I Date and Venue

The Australia vs Pakistan 2nd T20I will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from 01:30 pm IST.

Squads:

AUS squad:

Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Josh Philippe, Spencer Johnson

PAK squad:

Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Omair Yousuf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Usman Khan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Abbas Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

AUS vs PAK key battles:

Naseem Shah vs Jake Fraser-McGurk:

Naseem Shah has caused a lot of trouble for Jake Fraser-McGurk in the ongoing Pakistan tour of Australia. In the three-match ODI series, the right-arm pacer dismissed the Australia opener twice before dismissing him once again in the first T20I.

Fraser-McGurk can take the game away from any opposition in the blink of an eye and Pakistan will be hoping that Naseem continues his successful run against the highly-rated youngster.

Xavier Bartlett vs Mohammad Rizwan:

As Pakistan looks to win the upcoming AUS vs PAK T20I to draw level in the series, they will be relying on their captain Mohammad Rizwan to give them a good start with the bat. The onus will be on Rizwan to lift his team after the heavy defeat in the first game.

Rizwan is one of the best T20 batters in the world and Australia will be hoping that Xavier Bartlett dismisses him cheaply once again. Bartlett sent back Rizwan for a two-ball duck in the first game and will be eyeing more success.

Haris Rauf vs Glenn Maxwell:

Haris Rauf dismissed Glenn Maxwell in all three games of the ODI series. However, the right-arm pacer could not send him back in the first T20I and Maxwell went on to play a match-winning knock. The hard-hitting Australian batsman smashed 43 runs from just 19 balls. Rauf would be hoping to dismiss him cheaply in the upcoming game.

AUS vs PAK Key Players

AUS: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson will be the key players for Australia.

PAK: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf will be the key players for Pakistan.

AUS vs PAK Weather And Pitch Report

According to the weather forecast, there is no forecast for rain from 7 PM onward in Sydney on Saturday (November 16). So the second T20I is likely to take place without any interruption. The temperature will be in the early 20s throughout the game.

The pitch will have ample assistance for both pacers and spinners. At the same time, the batsmen will also find it easy to play their shots at the SCG surface.

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Conclusion

With so much at stake, expect a cracking game between Australia and Pakistan. The Men in Green won the ODI series after losing the first game and will be eyeing a similar performance in the T20I series as well.