Pakistan cricket team has only themselves to blame for the their rather poor campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup. There’s in-fighting between players, trust deficit and then of course, skipper Babar Azam is making some poor decision as far as their playing XI is concerned.
Say No to Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan Opening Combo
The opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan might have been uber successful for Pakistan in the past, like was the case in their only T20 World Cup win against India in 2021, where they scored 152 together, but that is not the team requirement now. With their back against the wall, Pakistan needs to win by a big margin against Canada to even thinking of making the super eight..and New York’s Nassau County stadium plays low and slow.
So two batsmen who are not the greatest strikers in the world, should not open together. Them wasting deliveries would only put more pressure on the latter batsmen. Babar has a career strike-rate of 129, and vs India scored 13 in 10 while chasing 120. In their loss to USA, he scored 44 from 43, in Dallas.
Rizwan, has a career strike-rate of 127. Against India he scored 31 from 44, and vs USA he scored 9 from 8. So this partnership must break immediately.
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Give Fakhar Zaman or Saim Ayub a Chance
When there is explosive Fakhar Zaman in the team, how on earth can he not open? Although he has a career strike-rate of only 135, but as an opener it improves to 140. And it is no secret that he can alone decimate the opposition bowlers, if in mood. With him Rizwan could be the other opener, who can deal in boundaries and singles & doubles, and play his natural game. While Babar, who is their best batsman, should come in at No. 3.
Then comes the curios case of Saim Ayub. He has a career strike-rate of 142 and is a proven performer in PSL. In 54 matches in the league, he has 1500 runs at a strike-rate of 144. He has been travelling with the team for a long time now, but not getting chances to play. What is the point of keeping him in team, if only Babar and Rizwan were to open, despite repeated failures.
The oppositions have figured your template of scoring, and can curtail that easily, especially on tracks that offer assistance to bowlers. If USA can do it, so can Canada, who are also in fine nick, and have beaten Ireland already in the tournament.
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