3 things Canada need to do right to beat Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2024 clash
A mere two days after being outfoxed by their arch-rivals and neighbours India in a high-octane clash at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York, USA, Pakistan meet Canada at the same venue in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The Shaheens are yet to get off the mark in this tournament and have lost both the games that they have played so far. Their opponents Canada, however, have caused a major upset already by beating Ireland in their last game.
If Pakistan are to qualify for the Super Eight stage of this tournament, they have to win both their remaining games, and this one against Canada comes at a crucial juncture for them.
They cannot take the Maples lightly and will have to be at their very best to defeat them. Although their bowlers have showed a lot of class in this tournament, their batters, led by skipper Babar Azam, have a lot left to be desired.
In this listicle, we take a look at three things that the Canadians need to do right to beat the struggling Pakistanis:
#1 Field well
One of the most important things that Canada have to do right against Pakistan is field well. If they take all the chances that come their way in that game, they will be able to ace their opponents and perhaps even beat them to submission.
Pakistan's batters are known to give a lot of chances and if their opponents are able to cash in on that, they might end up being on top at the end of the game.
The Canadian fielders have to believe in themselves and not think too much about their limitations.
If they take the catches that come their way and focus hard on the ground fielding aspect, they will be able to restrict Pakistan to a lowly total, either in the first innings or second.
#2 Use the fielding restrictions in the powerplay
A tip that the Canadian batters can use well is to make sure that they put up quick runs on the board, especially when the ball is new and hard.
This can be achieved if they make good use of the fielding restrictions inside the powerplay.
In their previous game against Ireland, the Canadian batters were unable to make good use of the powerplay and this led to a lot of pressure upon the likes of Nicholas Kirton and Shreyas Movva down the order.
However, if their batters are able to use the fielding restrictions well on Tuesday, the others who come lower down the order will have a platform already set for them to express their potential.
#3 Contain the Pakistani batters
What the Canadian bowlers can do well on Tuesday is work at containing the Pakistani batters, especially in and around the powerplay.
Although the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman will be tough to keep quiet when the fielding restrictions are on, if Canada are successful in doing so, they will earn a massive advantage over their opponents.
The likes of Jeremy Gordon, Dillon Heyliger and Kaleem Sana will have massive roles to play inside the powerplay while skipper Saad Bin Zafar and Junaid Siddiqui have the unenviable job to contain them in the middle overs.
Playing this game just two days after their uninspired batting performance against India, Pakistan will hope that their demons are finally extinguished and that they can finally get off the mark in this tournament.