Glenn Maxwell believes holding the World Cup will hold Australia in good stead as the pressure rises at the World Twenty20.
Australia's tournament-opening loss to New Zealand has made their path to the World T20 semi-finals a lot tricker.
They most likely need to win both remaining pool games, against India and Pakistan in Chandigarh.
Maxwell concedes it has been an inconsistent start to the event from him side but points to their impressive record at last year's World Cup as cause for confidence.
"When our backs are against the wall we generally find a way out of it," Maxwell told AAP.
"We've got two big games coming up but these are the sort of games that we've played really well in over the last few years.
"We did it last year in the World Cup.
"We lost to New Zealand in that low-scoring game then found a way to get past the rest of the sides and go undefeated for the rest of the tournament.
"That's exactly what we're hoping to do now."
It isn't the only parallel.
Australia defeated Pakistan in the their 2015 World Cup quarter-final then ousted defending champions India in their semi.
Now they are attempting to end the World T20 hopes of the same two sides.
"We definitely can draw confidence from it," Maxwell said, having played a key role in last year's World Cup.
"And I don't think people can just say 'India is a different country'.
"If we play with that same freedom that we played with during last year's World Cup then I don't see why we can't knock over these two teams and get ourselves into a semi-final."
There is a possibility Australia could sneak through to the knock-out phase on net run-rate by losing to Pakistan then beating India.
But it's not a scenario that anyone in the 15-man squad is contemplating ahead of their clash with Shahid Afridi's side, which starts at 8.30pm (AEDT).
Australia have suffered an eight-run loss to NZ then beaten Bangladesh by three wickets, with Maxwell describing it as a "bits and pieces" start to the event.
Skipper Steve Smith was more cutting when he addressed the side after they suffered a collapse of 6-57 while hauling in a target of 157 to defeat Bangladesh.
"He was probably just disappointed that we played sloppy. We weren't at what we expect to be our clinical best," Maxwell said.
The side's batting order hasn't clicked in India but Maxwell, who has logged scores of 22 and 26 in the tournament, is upbeat it will soon.
"I look down at our Australian list and we've got more match-winners than any other side in the world. We have a team full of them," the allrounder said.
"That's why we've just got to have confidence ... but first we've got to worry about Pakistan and how we're going to overcome them."
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