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Hussey sees crucial difference in Aussie semi-final heroics

Matthew Wade's extraordinary effort in the T20 World Cup semi-final has drawn comparisons with Michael Hussey's amazing innings in 2010, but the man himself says this side is well set to go one better

While he can see distinct similarities, the previous batting hero of an unlikely Australia T20 World Cup semi-final triumph over Pakistan believes there is a significant difference in the men's team's current pursuit of the one global limited-overs trophy to have thus far eluded it.

Mike Hussey, whose remarkable unbeaten 60 from 24 balls lifted Australia from a seemingly hopeless position into the final of the 2010 event in the Caribbean, believes his cameo might have masked an outfit that had peaked too early.

By contrast, Hussey sees the current Australia line-up – which meets New Zealand in Sunday's final at Dubai on the back of Matthew Wade's equally stunning 41no off 17 – as having built momentum throughout the tournament to be hitting their straps at the right moment.

Comparisons have been drawn between the left-handers' respective last-over onslaughts, with Hussey bludgeoning 18 (including three sixes) from four deliveries off Pakistan leg-spinner Saeed Ajmal in St Lucia, while Wade's 20 from four balls came against speedster Shaheen Afridi.

Both pyrotechnics shows came in knockout matches that Pakistan had dominated for much of the earlier phases, and ensured Australia enter the only two finals they've reached at T20 World Cups with breeze at their backs.

But Hussey sensed it was not to be plain sailing when they flew to Barbados just hours after the completion of that memorable 2010 semi-final to face England, who had been in red-hot form.

"At least the Aussies have got a couple of days this time just to come down off the high, to re-assess and then go again," Hussey told cricket.com.au.

"But there's no worries about getting up for a World Cup final after such a big semi-final, they'll be jumping out of their skins.

"The semi-final we won, I felt Pakistan played arguably the better cricket throughout the game and my sense was we were just starting to tail off.

"If we'd played England in the final maybe two games earlier, then it might have been a different story, I don't know.

"I just felt we were tapering off a touch, but that's just my opinion – I'm sure there are other guys who disagree with me there.

"But I think this Aussie team has been good in building momentum and has got gradually better with each game.

"There were a few question marks over this Aussie team at the start of the tournament, but it's just got better and better and gained more confidence as they've gone along."

Hussey noted the key to tournament play was ensuring things were going well enough in the group stage to make it through to the playoff rounds, but still to have room for improvement at the pointy end of competition.

However, he also noted Australia's 2007 flawless one-day World Cup campaign in the West Indies – of which he was a part – was an exception to that rule because "that team was in top form all the way through, it was unbelievable".

The fact that Australia outfit under Ricky Ponting was at the height of its considerable powers and carried all before it in both Test and ODI formats provides Hussey pause to consider the formidable obstacle New Zealand represents in 2021.

But for a wretched overthrow and a curious countback system, the Black Caps might be holders of two of global cricket's three most prestigious trophies with a chance of claiming the T20 crown on Sunday evening.

Despite NZ's recent run of success, Hussey is tipping Australia to win their first T20 World Cup although he also believes the outcome might be hugely influenced by events before a ball is bowled.

"Obviously I'm going to tip Australia, but not with full confidence," he said.

"I think New Zealand have been superb, and fantastic in all three formats of the game in the last few years so what a triumph it would be for them if they could cap it off.

"I hate to say it, and I don't like to see any result being influenced by the coin toss, but I think the toss will be crucial.

"I think there's been a high proportion of games at this World Cup that have been won by the team batting second, and that's significant.

"So as much as I don't like it, maybe the team that wins the toss has a huge advantage."

As history has shown, it's not only the 20-over format that has seen Australia snatch unlikely semi-final wins en route to a tournament decider.

1975 ODI World Cup

Australia went into the inaugural limited-overs showcase event with little experience in the (then) 60-over game which had been a staple in the UK county season for years.

"The Poms had been playing it for a while and they were obviously going to win it because they knew more about it," Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh recalled decades later.

However, a green pitch at Headingley for Australia's semi-final against England saw the favourites bowled out for 93, with left-arm seamer Gary Gilmour returning extraordinary figures of 6-14.

England's John Snow returned fire at Australia's top order as Ian Chappell's team crashed to 6-39, before Gilmour and Doug Walters put together 55 for the seventh wicket to sneak into the final against West Indies.

Australia's helter-skelter approach to limited-overs cricket saw them suffer five run-outs in their 17-run defeat (three of them executed by Vivian Richards), with Walters later noting his team's lack of success in early one-day competitions reflected Chappell's unwillingness to play "negative cricket".

1987 ODI World Cup

Flashback: Australia win the 1987 World Cup

Australia entered the first World Cup staged outside the UK as 16-1 outsiders, having won just seven of their 23 ODIs over the preceding 18 months and ranked fifth behind joint hosts India and Pakistan, as well as West Indies and England.

However, a one-run win over India in their opening game filled Allan Border's young outfit with a sense of belief and destiny that peaked when they met Imran Khan's Pakistan on their home patch at Lahore in a semi-final.

In what would prove something of a pattern in Australia-Pakistan finals, Steve Waugh clubbed 18 runs from Saleem Jaffer's final over which ended up being the difference between the teams after the home side's unsuccessful run chase.

The Australians were then welcomed as conquering heroes on arrival in Kolkata for the final, not only because they had eliminated India's great rival and neighbour, but in the hope they would also defeat England – the former colonial master who had ended India's hopes of a fairytale triumph.

Australia's seven-run win in the final therefore drew a rapturous response from a full house at Eden Gardens.

1996 ODI World Cup

Another miracle semi-final win – against the West Indies in Chandigarh – saw Australia scramble through a chaotic couple of days before the final in Lahore against Sri Lanka.

Their hopes or reaching the playoff looked gone when they slumped to 4-15 against the West Indies quicks, and despite rallying to post 207 their fate again seemed sealed when their opponents needed just 43 runs from the final nine overs with eight wickets in hand.

But panic set in for West Indies who spectacularly imploded, and when Damien Fleming clinched victory in the final over he took off "like a looter with a television" in celebration, according to teammate Steve Waugh.

World Cup Rewind: SL stun the world

"Surely, we felt, we were destined to win the final now," Waugh later reflected.

But from there, not much went right for the Australians.

Their flight from northern India to Pakistan next day faced lengthy delays due to security checks, they turned up for their main pre-final training session at the same time as opponents Sri Lanka and were forced to cool their heels, and then had their game-day preparation curtailed due to rain.

However, their most costly oversight was not realising the day-night final would be played at a time of year that heavy evening dew settled on Lahore, which meant their bowlers – most notably spin king Shane Warne – struggled to grip the ball in their hefty seven-wicket loss.

1999 ODI World Cup

Ponting's World Cup Memories: The '99 turnaround

Perhaps the most dramatic semi-final success of all, the tie with South Africa at Edgbaston saw Australia progress to the final against Pakistan by dint of their previous win over the Proteas a few days earlier.

Even as they watched a replay of the remarkable final over in their dressing room immediately after the game ended, Steve Waugh's team struggled to understand how they were still alive in the tournament.

But with just three days before the final, they immediately began plotting for Pakistan and noted their next opponents had lost their previous ODIs against South Africa. So the Australians vowed to play like the Proteas – persistent, consistent and ruthless, albeit with the added capacity to win cut-throat games.

The blueprint worked without flaw, and Australia stunned Pakistan to secure what would be the first of three World Cup final wins (without suffering a single defeat between them) by completing an eight-wicket victory at Lord's with 30 overs to spare.

Ponting's World Cup memories: The '99 turning point

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

Australia's squad

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

Oct 23: Australia beat South Africa by five wickets

Oct 28: Australia beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets

Oct 30: England beat Australia by eight wickets

Nov 4: Australia beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

Nov 6: Australia beat West Indies by eight wickets

Semi-finals

Nov 10: New Zealand beat England by five wickets

Nov 11: Australia beat Pakistan by five wickets

Final

Nov 14: New Zealand v Australia, Dubai (6pm local, 1am Nov 15 AEDT)

All matches live and exclusive on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports.

Click here for the full 2021 ICC T20 World Cup schedule

Click here for the full squads for all 16 teams

Super 12 stage

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia