4 Player Battles To Watch Out In AUS vs PAK 3rd T20I At Bellerive Oval Hobart

Babar Azam and Adam Zampa [Source: @rafi4999, @ABsay_ek/x.com]

Australia will be taking on Pakistan in the third and final T20I match of the series. The match will be played at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on November 18 at 1:30 PM IST.

Australia suffered a disappointing loss in the ODI series by a 2-1 margin. In the T20Is, they made a comeback and won the first two games to seal the series. The home team under the leadership Josh Inglish has shown great character to win the series with a game remaining.

Mohammad Rizwan had a memorable debut ODI series as a captain. Under his leadership Pakistan registered a historic series win and their confidence was sky high coming into the T20I series. However, the team has disappointed in the T20I series and have struggled to hit a positive note. Rizwan will be looking for an inspired show from his team in this game so that his debut T20I series does not end in a whitewash. 

There will be some small wars within the greater battle that will go a long way in deciding the fate of the game. So, here are three player battles to watch out for in the AUS vs PAK 3rd T20I at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

1. Matthew Short vs Shaheen Afridi

Matt Short and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @Cricketracker, @cricketcomau/x.com]

The Australian opener Matthew Short has looked decent with the bat in this tournament. He has played a couple of blinders at the top helping the team achieve competitive totals. Opening the innings for Australia, Short is bound to face Pakistan's new ball expert Shaheen Afridi. The battle between Short and Afridi will play a crucial role in tilting the balance of the game in either team's favour.

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2. Jake Fraser-McGurk vs Left Arm Pacers

The young Australian batter has not yet fired in the international format. Jake Fraser-McGurk has shown promises to be a destructive batter in the opening slot but has mostly failed to deliver at the highest level. McGurk too will be up against Shaheen Afridi as an opener. However, there is not enough data when it comes to the battle between the two players. Therefore, let us take a look at JFM's performance against left-arm pacers in the T20Is.

3. Babar Azam vs Adam Zampa

The Pakistan star batter is suffering from lean phase as far as scoring runs is concerned. The team management has tried Babar Azam at number three and the opening spot in the two T20Is so far. However, Azam has not yet delivered a big knock with the bat. We might see him coming down the order once more. If he bats in the middle phases, Babar will have to face Adam Zampa and how he faces the Australian leg-spinner will go a long way in deciding whether Pakistan can seize the momentum in the middle phase. 

4. Mohammad Rizwan vs Xavier Bartlett

Mohammad Rizwan and Xavier Bartlett [Source: @cricketcomau, @WisdenCricket/x.com]

The Pakistan skipper has failed to deliver in the two games in this series. However, Mohammad Rizwan is a key player for the Pakistan batting as he can anchor the innings from one end and can guide the team towards a formidable total. In the two matches of the series, Xavier Bartlett has done a great job with the ball picking up consistent wickets. He will be sharing the new ball with Spencer Johnson and the battle between Rizwan and Bartlett will be a crucial one.

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