3 things Pakistan can learn from their 2021 T20 World Cup win vs India
Today, October 24, marks the two-year anniversary of one of the most historic clashes between India and Pakistan in an ICC event.
In their 2021 T20 World Cup meeting at the Dubai International Stadium, the Men in Blue entered the contest as the favorites after an excellent run against their arch-rivals in ICC events. However, what transpired was a completely one-sided clash - in the other direction.
After restricting India to 151/7, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking three wickets, Pakistan chased down the total without breaking a sweat. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan put on an unbroken 152 for the first wicket to take their side over the line with more than two overs to spare.
Two years later, though, Pakistan are in real trouble. With only two wins from five matches, Babar's men are facing an uphill battle to make the semifinals of the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup. They have already lost to India in rather convincing fashion and are desperately searching for ways to turn their slump around.
Here are three things Pakistan can learn from their 2021 T20 World Cup win over India.
#3 Pakistan need to be more patient and stable with their decision-making
The reason why Pakistan were so successful in the white-ball formats for a good period of time was the stability their had in their playing XI. They backed the same players through thick and thin and didn't make too many unnecessary changes to their team combination.
Coming into this World Cup, though, that wasn't the case. There were doubts over Fakhar Zaman's spot at the top of the order, and the left-hander's terrible form opened up an opportunity for Abdullah Shafique at the top of the order.
Pakistan have made more knee-jerk reactions in the middle order as well. Vice-captain Shadab Khan was dropped against Australia, and his replacement Usama Mir fared even worse. And without Naseem Shah, the side decided to bring in Hasan Ali instead of turning towards younger, more dynamic options.
Pakistan need to stick to a tried-and-tested combination. Even if Shadab isn't anywhere near his best with the ball, he offers enough in the other two departments to warrant being included in the XI. In other departments, too, Babar and the team management need to identify the right personnel and stick with them.
#2 Shaheen Shah Afridi needs to hit the lengths he did then, in Naseem Shah's absence
Shaheen Afridi's new-ball burst was one of the biggest reasons behind Pakistan's win over India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The left-armer completely bamboozled KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to set the tone for the contest and curtail India's batting momentum at the very start of their innings.
Ever since his knee injury, though, Shaheen hasn't been at his potent best. He's still a world-class all-phase bowler, as his performance against Australia illustrated, but he hasn't lived up to the standards he has set for himself over the last couple of years.
Shaheen's failure to live up to his billing has been compounded by the injury-enforced absence of Naseem Shah, who is arguably Pakistan's best bowler in the powerplay. The left-armer needs to look back on his displays against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup and identify the right lines and lengths to bowl.
Shaheen has been guilty of being too leg-side on occasion with the new ball, and he also hasn't been able to resort to the full lengths that brought about so many wickets when he was in his prime. The 23-year-old is a top bowler and has the tools to bring about this change almost immediately.
#1 Chasing might be the better option for Pakistan
This might not be reflected in Pakistan's results so far at the 2023 World Cup, and their win percentages when batting first and bowling first since the start of 2022 are almost identical. But there's reason to believe that they are more suited to chasing totals.
Pakistan chased down an imposing 345 against Sri Lanka, and while they weren't able to pull off what would've been an incredible effort against Australia, they put up a good fight despite being faced with a daunting target. They have also failed to defend totals against India and Afghanistan, who found it all too easy in the second innings.
Like they did against India on that day, Babar and Co. could bring out the best of their batters if they know the score in front of them. With questions over the intent of their key batters, opting to bat like they did against Afghanistan doesn't seem like a smart thing to do.