Pakistan cricket team is another favorite to win the T20 World Cup 2022 title as they missed the chance last year, losing in the semis against defending champions Australia. Pakistan will start its T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals India on October 23 at Melbourne Cricket Ground(MCG).
Image – CricXtasy
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: India Team Preview
Finalists in the first edition in 2007, champions in the next, and semifinalists three times. Since then it makes Pakistan one of the favorites to go through to the knockout stage in Australia from a group that includes archrival India, South Africa, Bangladesh, and two qualifiers from the first round.
The jinx of not beating India in a World Cup game in any format ended last year when Babar and Rizwan led Pakistan to a massive 10-wicket win during the T20 World Cup. Let’s take a look at their strengths and weaknesses below.
Strengths
Babar and Rizwan have scored loads of runs over the last year in T20 cricket, massively improving their strike rates in the recent seven-match home series against England. Babar is only the sixth batter in the world to surpass 3,000 T20 International runs.
Rizwan was named ICC player of the month after scoring seven half-centuries in 10 T20s last month, including three in the Asia Cup and four against England at home. The Pakistani pair occupy the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in the world T20 rankings.
The recent elevation of both Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in the batting order has provided Pakistan with more depth in the middle order, especially when chasing a target. The left-arm spin of Nawaz and the leg spin of Shadab have often choked the opposition in the middle overs.
Read Also: T20 World Cup 2022: Australia Team Preview
The most likely return of Shaheen Afridi from a knee injury will further strengthen the Pakistan pace department with the likes of Haris Rauf, who has experience playing in Australia’s T20 Big Bash League for Melbourne Stars, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim, and Mohammad Hasnain all expected to challenge the opposition on bouncy pitches.
Weakness
The dominance of Babar and Rizwan is so much that the opening pair mostly consume more than half of the balls in a T20 inning. This has left the middle-order batters with no other option but to accelerate quickly in the latter half of the innings.
Shan Masood has performed in patches at No. 3 since making his T20 debut at home against England last month. Fakhar Zaman still recovering from a knee injury that has sidelined the left-hander since the Asia Cup. Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, and Asif Ali mostly haven’t lived up to their reputation of scoring at a brisk pace and Pakistan has been struggling to come close to 200 while batting first.
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First, let’s take a look at the final Pakistan squad for the mega event in Australia, then we will take a look at their schedule in the tournament.
T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan Squad
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Babar Azam (C) | Batsman |
| Shadab Khan (VC) | All-rounder |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Wicket-keeper |
| Fakhar Zaman | Batsman |
| Khushdil Shah | All-rounder |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | All-rounder |
| Asif Ali | Batsman |
| Mohammad Nawaz | All-rounder |
| Haider Ali | Batsman |
| Haris Rauf | Bowler |
| Mohammad Hasnain | Bowler |
| Mohammad Wasim Jr. | Bowler |
| Naseem Shah | Bowler |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Bowler |
| Shan Masood | Batsman |
Now, check out Pakistan’s complete T20 World Cup 2022 schedule below.
T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan Schedule
| Match No. | Date | Match | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | October 23 | IND vs PAK | 1:30 PM | Melbourne |
| 24 | October 27 | PAK vs B1 | 4:30 PM | Perth |
| 29 | October 30 | PAK vs A2 | 12:30 PM | Perth |
| 36 | November 3 | PAK vs SA | 1:30 PM | Sydney |
| 41 | November 6 | PAK vs BAN | 9:30 AM | Adelaide |
