Published: Oct 26, 2018, 08:35 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 26, 2018, 08:35 AM (IST)
As they seek to keep the three-match T20I series alive, Australia’s vice-captain and wicketkeeper Alex Carey believes the team’s defeat to Pakistan in the first game was a one-off.
Chasing 156 in Abu Dhabi, Australia were bowled out for 89 to lose by 66 runs. They must beat Pakistan in today’s game in Dubai to avoid a series defeat.
“With the players we’ve got in the T20 side, it’s obviously a really exciting team on paper,” Carey told AAP. “We’ve seen what our batters can do up the top of the order, especially at home in the Big Bash. With those type of players we’ve got in the side, we don’t expect that to happen again. We put the trust in the players. Obviously T20 cricket can happen quite fast. We trust every player that plays in this side to assess the situation.”
Should top-ranked Pakistan beat Australia on Friday, it will be their tenth successive T20I series victory since Sarfraz Ahmed took over from Shahid Afridi in 2016. Australia are ranked third, but their form in limited-overs this year has been inconsistent.
“It’s no secret that our performance over the last 12 months in white-ball cricket isn’t at the level we want it to be,” said Carey. “I think we’ve got a T20 squad that can be quite similar to the one-day squad. We’ve got world-class bowlers, world-class batters. You see with England’s side, they’re really settled. But they’re settled because they’re all performing. It’s now time for our T20 squad, our one-day squad to bridge the gap between who comes in and out and try to get a settled list heading into the World Cup.”
