ABU DHABI: Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson wants to complete a cleansweep over Pakistan today to recapture the world’s top ranking and provide a tonic ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
Australia won the first one-dayer in Sharjah by 93 runs on Tuesday and then took an unbeatable 2-0 lead by winning the second match in Dubai on Friday by five wickets.
Steve Smith hit a maiden hundred while Glenn Maxwell made a fighting 76 to anchor Australia’s batting.
Spearhead Johnson took three wickets in each game, catching Pakistan napping in spin-friendly conditions.
Australia can also regain the world number one ranking if they win the final game, overtaking South Africa who had briefly displaced India.
“We want to win 3-0 and that is our goal now,” said Johnson.
“We have won the series and we want to keep going, keep playing good cricket because we’ve got the World Cup coming next year and so we have to stay at our best.”
Australia have now claimed four consecutive one-day series wins over Pakistan, winning 3-2 in United Arab Emirates in 2009, 5-0 in Australia a year later and 2-1 in UAE in 2012.
Pakistan’s last series win over Australia was in 2002.
“It will be very important to win the last game and it will give us confidence before the Test matches,” said under-fire Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq of the two-Test series which follows the one-dayers.
“But our batsmen need to show more responsibility. We have to improve our batting before next year’s World Cup, otherwise it will mean trouble.”
Injury-hit Pakistan will be without paceman Wahab Riaz who suffered a knee injury in the second game.
His place will go to another left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir, a replacement for injured fast bowler Junaid Khan.
“Riaz is out of the third match because of a knee injury,” team manager Moin Khan told AFP.
“He had an MRI. The report will be available on Sunday, after which we will decide about his selection in the Test squad.”
Pakistan also lost all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez for the Twenty20 and ODIs while they are without key off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, suspended because of an illegal bowling action.
Meanwhile, Haq vowed to fight on despite losing the one-day series against Australia, insisting he has not thought about relinquishing the captaincy.
The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Misbah as one-day captain until the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February-March next year.
Asked if he was thinking of standing down, Misbah said: “I have not thought about the captaincy. I will fight on.”
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Sami Aslam, Umar Amin, Asad Shafiq, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Raza Hasan, Mohammad Irfan, Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Sohail Tanvir.
Australia: George Bailey (capt), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Phil Hughes, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Johnson, Kane Richardson, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
Agencies
