The third T20I of the ongoing series between Pakistan and Australia is a dead rubber — as the Men in Green have already won the series by succeeding in the first two matches — but despite that fact there is still a lot to play for as we head into the final match.

Pakistan hoping for improved batting show

The home side may have won the previous two matches convincingly but they must feel that they left a lot to be desired in terms of their batting efforts on both occasions.

Apart from opener Babar Azam and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez none of the batsmen have made their mark during their series up till now.

The backend of the innings have been a particularly worrying factor as Pakistan lost wickets in a heap in both matches in that phase. They lost seven wickets for just 28 runs in the first T20I while in the next match they went on to lose five wickets for 32 runs.

 With the New Zealand series scheduled to begin shortly after the culmination of this series, Pakistan batsmen would be hoping to get some runs under their belt before they lock horns with the Kiwis.

Australia searching for their first win on tour

The Kangaroos have not won even a single match on this tour so far against Pakistan but they would be hoping for a change of fortunes on Sunday.

Glenn Maxwell’s innings gave them an outside chance of toppling the home side in the second T20 but it generally Australia have found themselves behind the game throughout the series.

The bowlers kept them in with a chance by not letting Pakistan post a massive total on the board — in both matches — but their efforts were nullified by the lack of application shown by the batsmen. 

If Australia wants to salvage some of their pride, their batsmen will have to show up with a proper plan to counter the Pakistan bowlers and especially their spinners.

Will Pakistan spinners outwit the Aussies once again?

It won’t be unfair to say that the Pakistan spinners have been all over the Aussies during the T20I series so far and the same is going to continue if the visitors don’t chalk out a strategy to counter them.

Pakistan spinners have picked up eight wickets over the course of the first two matches at a miserly economy rate of 4.73, which speaks volumes about their effectiveness.

Imad Wasim’s nagging line and length supplemented by his variations of pace have totally bamboozled the Aussies while Shadab Khan has also challenged the batsmen with his sharp leg-spin bowling.

Australian batsmen went too hard too early during the first match while they adopted a more cautious approach in the next match but on both occasions their tactics failed miserably as they were unable to find the right balance between attacking and defending.

If the visitors want to avoid a clean sweep in the series, they will have to quickly learn from their mistakes in order to neutralise the Pakistan spinners.