Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said on Monday that Pakistan are a very strong unit and that he is looking forward to taking them on in the three-match T20 series starting October 24.
“We are looking forward to the challenge. We had a good tri-series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe,” Maxwell said in an interview with Gulf News.
“Unfortunately, Pakistan got the better of us in the final. Hopefully, we can improve our performance by one level and win the tournament here,” he added.
The 30-year-old further said, “Pakistan are obviously a very strong unit and have played some really good T20 cricket over the last couple of years to get themselves to the world No. 1 spot.”
Speaking about Fakhar Zaman, Maxwell said, “We’ll have our work cut out. Guys like Fakhar Zaman has been outstanding, especially in that final.”
“They don’t rely on one specific bowler, they have got a good unit that works together. So we’ll have to be at our A game to beat them,” he added.
On the subject of playing Pakistan in Dubai, the batsman said he has fond memories of the place.
Maxwell’s 76 against Pakistan in 2014 had helped Australia chase down the target and earn him the Man-of-the-Match award.
“The grounds here are beautiful. I have been lucky enough to have some success in Dubai. There was a one-day game that we played in 2014, I was able to score some runs and take some wickets in the T20 as well,” he said.
“Hopefully, we can get a decent crowd and really entertain them,” said Maxwell.
Pakistan and Australia will play three T20s with the first match on October 24 in Abu Dhabi.
The second and third games of the series will be played in Dubai on October 26 and 28.
