DUBAI, Sept 4: Pakistan and Australia will be looking to tune up for this month’s World Twenty20 championship in a three-match series which starts here on Wednesday.

The Twenty20 series follows a three-match one-day series which Australia won 2-1 but Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez hoped a new format and some fresh players will help his team.

“These matches give both teams a good chance to settle for the mega event,” said Hafeez of the World Twenty20 to be held in Sri Lanka from Sept 18 to Oct 7.

Pakistan finished runners-up to India in the first edition of the World Twenty20 held in South Africa in 2007 and two years later bagged the title in England.

They were losing semi-finalists to Australia in the 2010 edition held in the West Indies.These stats, Hafeez believed, make Pakistan a good Twenty20 team.

“It’s disappointing not to win the one-day series but the confidence is still high that we have got a good Twenty20 side and I am confident that we can beat Australia,” said Hafeez, who replaced Misbah as T20 captain in June.

Hafeez admitted off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will be the key player after taking ten wickets in the one-day series.

“Saeed is a world class bowler but we are not depending on him alone,” said Hafeez. “I think other bowlers must support him from the other end.”

Pakistan will be boosted by the return of spearhead Umar Gul who was rested for the one-day series, while all-rounders Abdul Razzaq and Yasir Arafat, opener Imran Nazir and paceman Mohammad Sami also make the squad.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s top player in Twenty20 cricket, is likely to miss the first and second match (in Dubai on Friday). He may return in the third, also in Dubai, next Monday after injuring his hand in the third one-day on Monday.

Australia were strengthened by the return of star all-rounder Shane Watson, pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus, Clint McKay and Pat Cummins, as well as middle-order batsman Cameron White and unorthodox spinner Brad Hogg.

Their captain George Bailey was confident that new players will boost the team.

“There’ll be a nice injection of some energy and enthusiasm into the group. We’ll try to find a settled line-up as quickly as possible, particularly with the batting. These will be really important games against Pakistan,” he said. “Any momentum that we can get that we can take into Sri Lanka will be excellent.”

Bailey said all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who hit a match-winning 56 not out in the third one-day in Sharjah late on Monday, will be a key component for Australia. “Glenn was someone [head coach] Mickey Arthur and I pushed really hard for [at selection] just because of the x-factor and the versatility that he has,” said Bailey.

Meanwhile, Watson believed playing a dangerous Twenty20 side like Pakistan will give good preparations to Australia, who are ranked ninth in the shortest form of the game.

“These matches are very important and will give us a good lead to the World Twenty20,” said Watson. “We haven’t really had a long time together as a Twenty20 team so it will be good playing Pakistan.”

Teams (from):

PAKISTAN: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Sami.

AUSTRALIA: George Bailey (captain), Shane Watson, Dan Christian, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Cameron White, Alistair McDermott.

Umpires: Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza (both Pakistan). TV umpire: Zameer Haider (Pakistan). Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).—AFP