Australian skipper Aaron Finch dreads a washout in his team's next World Cup 2019 clash versus Pakistan on Wednesday (June 12) at Taunton. Finch is anxious regarding the weather forecast for this encounter as the tournament has already seen three different games abandoned by rain. And, that could well impact the eventual standings towards the semis.
"I think it (weather) might play a huge part in the next few days. Next week it starts fine and looks good across the country for the remainder of the tournament," Finch told reporters on Tuesday (June 11).
"So it's important that you get early wins on the board because you don't want to be on the wrong end of a couple of washouts that might leave you just outside that top four."
Australia couldn't make it to the semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy after a rain-abandoned draw in the team's important game with Bangladesh, who then went on to reach the top-four with a win over New Zealand.
However, if the game actually takes place, Finch expects Pakistan to provide a stiff challenge for his troops.
"I think Pakistan is obviously a very dangerous side. We've seen consistently throughout, especially ICC tournaments, that they win a lot of games and they get themselves in a position to win the tournament."
"They had a great Champions Trophy. So regardless of what kind of form Pakistan go in with, they're always incredibly dangerous."
Pakistan is currently eighth in the points table after a loss against West Indies, win over England and a rain-abandoned draw versus Sri Lanka.
"They've got some world-class players. Obviously, Babar (Azam) is in great touch batting at No. 3 and holding their batting together," Finch said.
"(Mohammad) Amir coming back and he looks to be back to his best. He's swinging the ball again. Wahab (Riaz) has been fast and aggressive. Shadab (Khan) is a great bowler."
"Hasan (Ali) had a great Champions Trophy as well. When you look down their side there's no player that you can disregard. They've got a lot of experience on their side. They've got a lot of match winners," he concluded.
(Inputs from AFP)
