Pakistan vs. Australia – T20 Cricket World Cup, Thursday, November 11, 2021

Pakistan heads into the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup as the only team with a 100% record in the tournament.

The Shaheens won all five of their group games to finish ahead of New Zealand, India, Afghanistan, Namibia, and Scotland in Group 2 – scoring tons of runs in the process.

Over in Group 1, the Aussies won four of their five matches to finish second. They claimed the same number of points as third-place South Africa but advanced thanks to their superior net run rate.

This Pakistan vs. Australia betting preview contains odds for the semi-final on Thursday, November 11, team analysis, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

Many of the leading online cricket sportsbooks see Pakistan (1.83) as the favorite to win this one. That said, Australia (2.00) isn’t far behind.

The Men in Green have already upset the odds on a number of occasions at the T20 World Cup, beating India and New Zealand in the group stage – despite being the underdog.

You would be foolish to write off the Aussies, though. Justin Langer’s squad is stacked with world-class players, so they could easily advance to the final if they get everything right on Thursday.

It’s time to take a closer look at the teams.

Before the tournament got underway, Pakistan was priced at 8.00 to win the T20 World Cup. Funnily enough, Saqlain Mushtaq’s side was the bookies’ sixth favorite to lift the trophy.

As we head into the semi-finals, the Men in Green are now priced at 3.75 to win the tournament. With four teams remaining, only England has a smaller price.

It’s safe to say that the captain has led by example. Having smashed four half-centuries, Babar Azam finds himself atop the run-scoring leaderboard.

Azam has notched scores of 68*, 9, 51, 70, and 66 so far, underlining his importance to the team. He is averaging 66.00 with a strike rate of 128.15.

Pakistan’s bowlers have been immense, too. Haris Rauf has claimed eight scalps, Shaheen Afridi has six wickets to his name, while Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan have both taken five wickets.

The Shaheens won the T20 World Cup back in 2009 but failed to reach the semi-finals in each of the past two editions of the tournament. Could 2021 be their year?

Australia came into the competition with higher hopes than Pakistan. As the bookies’ fourth favorite, Justin Langer’s side was priced at 6.00 to go all the way.

After scraping past South Africa and Sri Lanka, the Aussies were crushed by England – scoring just 125 runs in a heavy eight-wicket defeat to their bitter rivals.

Since then, however, they have produced a couple of improved performances.

As you can see, Adam Zampa has played his part. The spinner claimed tournament-best figures of 5/19 in a dominant eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh.

Although the Aussies have won four of their five matches, they have yet to hit top gear. But can they find their A-game against in-form Pakistan? It certainly won’t be easy.

Before the World Cup started, I would have backed Australia to beat Pakistan in the semi-finals. But as the tournament has progressed, the Men in Green have gone from strength to strength.

Led by the unstoppable Bazar Azam, the Shaheens have proved they can beat anyone – and I can see them getting the better of Australia.

I expect the Aussies to push Pakistan all the way on Thursday, but I think the Men in Green will be too strong for Langer’s side.

It feels like all the momentum is with Pakistan at the moment. The Men in Green head into the semi-finals on a five-game winning streak – and I’m backing them to extend that run to six games.

Fancy betting on the other T20 World Cup semi-final? Make sure you check out my England vs. New Zealand betting preview.