Pakistan, once regarded as one of the top T20 sides in world cricket, is a shadow of their former selves.
You would think that with the talent pool available to Pakistan in the shortest format of the game, they would be one of the most feared sides in the international circuit, but the reality is that every other team knows that they can possibly get a result against the Men in Green. Which does not bode well for the national side.
Pakistan’s mediocre performance against New Zealand in both the away and the home series has raised some serious question marks about the side. With the T20 World Cup 2024 just over a month away, Pakistan looks far from a formidable side which can actually go on to lift the World Cup trophy.
The current Pakistan team, the one that lost to New Zealand ‘C’ team, as the cricket experts in the country called it, would be a great T20 side in the mid-2010’s. Unfortunately, the modern T20 game has moved on and the Green Shirts are still playing catch up.
Focusing on anchoring the innings and saving the wickets for an onslaught at the backend used to work for Pakistan in the recent past but not anymore as the rest of the teams capitalize in all phases of the game.
Despite the below-par displays recently, I am extremely confident that the Men in Green do have the required resources to go deep in the mega-event and even possibly win it. They just need to focus on a few things and sort out a few issues.
Let’s have a look at some of the points that the Men in Green have to sort out before the T20 World Cup!
Entry Points for Batters
Pakistan has struggled to send in the batter at their suitable positions which has ultimately led them to either posting a below-par total or failing to chase the target down.
Last night’s loss against New Zealand is a prime example of this. With Pakistan struggling at 4/79 in 9.4 overs, Pakistan decided to send in Iftikhar Ahmed to face the spinners in a tricky situation.
If Pakistan had a look at the data, it would’ve been clear that Iftikhar struggles in the middle phase of the innings and also has issues against the spin. However, Iftimania is one of the best in the country to face pace in the death overs of the innings.
According to the data of the PSL 9, Iftikhar Ahmed did not once come to bat in the middle phase (7-15) for Multan Sultans as the Sultans used him primarily to hit at the death, which he exceled at with a strike rate of 222.45 in PSL 9.
Meanwhile, Imad Wasim has a history of playing crucial knocks in the middle phase of the innings and staying calm under pressure to guide the team home. Imad’s recent outing in the PSL is proof of this as he came in at the 13th over mark in the final of the PSL 9 and chased down the total expertly.
His strike rate is still really good at the backend but pales in comparison to Iftikhar Ahmed. Imad’s strike rate during the 17-20 over mark in PSL 9 stood at 188.89 in comparison to Iftikhar’s 222.45.
Similarly, Pakistan botched up the entry points during their tour of New Zealand a few months back as they sent in Iftikhar Ahmed instead of Azam Khan and vice-versa at the desired time.
This is Pakistan’s run-rate in each phase of the innings:
Utilization of Powerplay
The first six overs of the game are as crucial as they come, with teams capitalizing by scoring the maximum they can as naturally, they would tend to slow down a bit during the middle phase.
With the fielders in the circle, it is much easier to find the gaps or play it over their heads to score freely. One of Pakistan’s main issues has been to fully utilize the powerplay.
While the combination of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub at the top has worked for Peshawar Zalmi and should work for the side in the T20 World Cup, there has to be a change in the intent of the openers. We have seen Babar and Saim take on the attack to the opposition in the powerplay in the PSL, but strangely they have failed to replicate that in the international arena.
With a focus on capitalizing on the powerplay and go all guns blazing, Pakistan can turn around their fortunes by either posting an above-par score or setting them up to chase the target with relative ease.
I for one, would stick with this opening pair in the T20 World Cup.
Bowling Changes
It is good to see Pakistan trying different bowling combinations in the ongoing series but their approach to try these things has left me baffled. With four expert new-ball bowlers, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Imad Wasim, Pakistan will need to figure out the correct entry points for their bowlers too.
Which bowlers will bowl in the powerplay, who will be the wicket-taking option in the middle phase, and who will be tasked to contain the opposition at the death.
The good news for the Men in Green is that they have loads of options in the ranks, to bowl in each phase of the game. Shaheen’s new-ball prowess, Naseem’s exceptional performances in the middle phase, Haris Rauf’s sensational economy rate at the death will fill most of the spots. Couple that with Amir, Imad, Shadab, Iftikhar, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub too, Pakistan is filled in the department.
The issue arises when these bowlers are not properly used in their roles. Should Shaheen bowl the majority of his overs in the powerplay and save Amir and Naseem through the middle and the death? Imad’s powerplay bowling is a huge plus and Abrar Ahmed’s ability to bowl in the first six and the next ten is a luxury to have too.
The team management needs to figure out a pattern on which bowlers will bowl in what phase and the outlook of the team completely changes, for the better.
Utilization of Resources
It’s good that Pakistan has given a chance to various players in the series because you never know which player might need to step up in which game come the World Cup.
There will be some matches where Pakistan will need to go with a combination of either four or three pacers. They might need to beef up their middle-order in some matches and some matches may require them to play more spin bashers rather than pace hitters.
Now Pakistan has a history of not utilizing its resources to the maximum. With such a loaded squad, in terms of the quality of the players, Pakistan could become the team to beat only if they are flexible and set their team according to the opponent and conditions on offer.
Proactive Rather Than Reactive
We have seen time and again that the Green Shirts go into auto-pilot mode during the middle phase of the innings. When things are not going their way, it is very easy to dismantle the Pakistan team as they have a history of being reactive rather than proactive.
The captain and the team management will have to be on their toes throughout the mega-event and make some tough decisions in order to come close to the World Cup trophy.
In-game decisions of captains could inspire a team to go on and win the match. There will be times in the tournament when things will go out of Pakistan’s way, this is where a good captain will show his capabilities. Does he have it in him to change the course of the game with an on-field decision. This responsibility will lie on the shoulders of Babar Azam and the entire country will need him to be at his best in the mega-event!
What do you think? Did I miss anything? Write down your suggestions down below
