Pakistan roared back in style in the 2022 T20 World Cup as Babar’s men dismantled an unbeaten South African side in a high-octane clash at Sydney Cricket Ground last night. The Men in Green were sensational as they put up a solid total on the board before restricting South Africa to win the match by 33 runs in a rain-affected encounter.
It looked like the Green Shirts were in for a humbling early on in the match as they lost their top order cheaply but they put up a valiant fightback as they took the South African bowlers to the cleaners, which seemingly the Proteas never recovered from.
Pakistan finally looked like a team that the fans have been accustomed to over the past year and much of it was down to their intensity and strategy to tackle a strong South African side. The Pakistan cricket fans will be hoping for the Men in Green to carry on their excellent work and continue the positive T20 intent they showed in their previous match.
Here are five lessons that Pakistan should learn from their thumping win over South Africa:
1. Utilize the Powerplay
Pakistan’s inability to fully utilize the fielding restrictions at the start of the innings has been a cause of concern for the side. Slow starts have hurt Pakistan on numerous occasions as it leaves a little too much to do for the big hitters at the back end of the innings.
Mohammad Haris’ debut T20 World Cup innings was like a breath of fresh air for the side as he took on the attack to a world-class bowling unit consisting of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. While Haris’ stay at the wicket was short, his sensational innings provided the impetus to the rest of the batting unit to play their natural game and post a big total for the side in the all-important clash.
Imagine the Men in Green doing this on a consistent basis. Fast starts will not only put pressure on the opposition bowling unit but will also provide the confidence to the rest of the batting unit to play at a consistent rate and not look to hit sixes from the moment they come out to bat.
2. No Need for 3 Anchors
Pakistan’s experiment with three anchors at the top of the order should be scrapped instantly. Babar, Rizwan, and Shan, all in their own right are fabulous players, but going with these three at the top of the order is a sure-shot recipe for disaster.
In an ideal world, Pakistan would be going with only one anchor in their top order but given the record of Babar and Rizwan, and Shan’s sensational form, they did not have much choice. Haris’ inclusion in the side has given the team management a taste of what it would be like to have a player that could smash from the word go.
Going forward, Pakistan would have to drop at least one anchor from Babar, Rizwan, and Shan. Shan would be the unlucky one as his role diminishes significantly once he’s not playing in the top three. Shan has put in some solid performances in the T20 World Cup but Pakistan would benefit more if one of Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah are selected in his place.
3. Taking on the Spinners in Middle Overs
Pakistan’s batting success so far in the tournament has been largely due to their decision to take on the spinners in the middle phase of the innings.
Iftikhar took on Ashwin and Axar Patel in Pakistan’s encounter against India while Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz took on Tabraiz Shamsi in the match against South Africa. This phase of the game managed to pull the momentum in Pakistan’s favor as it provided the impetus for the rest of the innings.
This strategy has worked well for Pakistan so far in the tournament and there should be no reason to change this in the match against Bangladesh.
4. Trust Shadab & Nawaz as Middle-Order Batters
Pakistan team management’s reluctance to trust Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan as proper middle-overs batters has hurt the team on several occasions. Both players should be considered proper all-rounders and more batting responsibility should be hoisted on their shoulders in the future.
Both the players have showcased their skills with the bat recently and have turned out to be match-winners for the team with their performances with the bat. Nawaz’s epic innings against India in the 2022 Asia Cup and Shadab’s sensational half-century in the 2022 T20 World Cup clash against South Africa are proof of their talent with the bat.
Promoting their position up the order allows Pakistan to play a proper finisher lower down the order which not only helps in prolonging the batting but also a better team combination.
5. No Set Pattern in Death Bowling
Pakistan’s pace attack is certainly one of the best, if not the best in the tournament. The Men in Green possess some wonderful fast bowlers who excel in different match situations. Shaheen and Naseem are lethal up front while Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jnr. are death-over specialists.
The variety of Pakistan’s pace attack allows them the freedom to utilize different strategies through different phases of the game. There should not be a set pattern but there should be a focus on utilizing the strengths of the bowlers coupled with the pitch conditions.
For example, both Mohammad Wasim Jnr. and Naseem Shah were brilliant at the death of the South African innings but both the bowlers bowled completely differently. While Wasim focused on bowling his lethal yorkers, Naseem used the pitch conditions and bowled slow-cutters. Both are different, but both are equally effective.
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Man, did you go to school by any chance
agreed