Cornered Tigers wait on wounded Kangaroos

Bengaluru: The best Pakistan sides are, to paraphrase what the American actor of yesteryear Mae West said of herself, very good when they’re good; when they’re bad, they’re even better.

The bad Pakistan is often petulant, marked by players snarling at each other in the field, bleeding wides, dropping easy catches and getting out to improbable shots in tight situations. But it has also produced memorable moments. Characterise it positively as the courage of cornered tigers if you will; more likely it is the chaos of a failing nation reflecting in its cricket to catalyse the odd unforgettable piece of drama.

Think back to the ferocious spell of fast bowling Wahab Riaz produced to Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell two World Cups ago; Fakhar Zaman’s madcap hundred from the Champions’ Trophy in 2017; and, of course, 1992, when sheer force of character won them the Cup after plumbing the depths with a 74 all out in a group game, rained off, seemingly by divine Grace.

We’ve seen neither the good nor the better bad from Babar Azam’s men, more a workmanlike, middling mediocrity. They’ve had two easy games, getting past the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, the latter in some style, admittedly - but then surrendering tamely to a vastly superior India.

Will the kick up the backside from their sworn rivals, tasteless taunts on the ground, and the sheer pettiness behind their supporters being denied visas be enough to transform Babar’s men? Can they get angry enough?

In the other corner: Australia, that rare Cup-winning machine that blends flair and efficiency. They’re over their two toughest games, and both went badly, against India and South Africa. This leaves them in the unfamiliar position of having to win most of their remaining matches to ensure qualification, with banana peels like the Netherlands and Afghanistan lying in wait, not to mention the all-conquering Kiwis. The machine began to purr nicely against Sri Lanka, but Pakistan, if ignited, are a wholly different proposition.

Australia are used to turning up for ICC tournaments and finding themselves in the semis with minimal sweat; when Pakistan get there, it is often by taking the scenic route. The big guns on either side, be it Babar and Shaheen Afridi or Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitch Starc, haven’t started firing yet. The Chinnaswamy would be a great place for it all to begin, and not a moment too early.

Conditions: The Chinnaswamy Stadium, with its compact stature and a batting friendly pitch, has barely been kind to bowlers and it could be the same on Friday. It's loaded with runs and there are plenty of stroke-makers in both sides who would be looking to cash in. It has been an unsurprisingly hot October for Garden City and temperatures should peak at 30 and cool down post 4 pm, meaning ideal conditions for a game of cricket.

Form guide:

Australia: W, L, L, W, L

Pakistan: L, W, W, L, L 

Squads: 

Australia: Pat Cummins (capt), Alex Carey (wk), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschange, Steven Smith, David Warner, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir.