Asia Cup 2022: "This team's top three are sorted" - Aakash Chopra on Pakistan's strengths ahead of India clash
Aakash Chopra has picked Pakistan's solid top three as one of the side's strengths heading into the Asia Cup 2022.
The continental T20 tournament will be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. Babar Azam's side will begin their campaign with a clash against arch-rivals India in Dubai on Sunday, August 28.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on Pakistan's strengths. He had the following to say about their top three of Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman:
"They have a solid top three - Babar, Rizwan and Fakhar. Rizwan plays well, there is no doubt [about] that. Fakhar Zaman is a gun player. Babar Azam is a gun player, there is no doubt about that as well. So this team's top three are sorted."
Chopra hopes that the Indian bowlers will perform better than they did against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup last year. He added that the Men in Green's top three batters are likely to be their mainstays and said:
"Last time we couldn't even take one wicket of theirs, which is a sad reality. That might not be the case this time but the top three will once again be the backbone of this team."
Pakistan's bowlers restricted Virat Kohli and Co. to 151/7 in their T20 World Cup 2021 clash in Dubai. Their openers, Azam and Rizwan, then chased down the below-par target in less than 18 overs without getting separated.
"This ground was their home" - Aakash Chopra on Pakistan's other strengths
Chopra feels Pakistan's familiarity with the conditions in the UAE gives them a huge advantage. He explained:
"The special thing that makes them a threat and will always do is that this ground was their home for a very long time. They used to defeat all teams here. In fact, the match they lost against Australia, which was the semi-final of the T20 World Cup, they had lost a match in UAE after a long gap."
Chopra picked the plethora of all-rounders in the Pakistan squad as another of their positives. The reputed commentator elaborated:
"They have plenty of all-rounders, which is a fantastic thing. Shadab Khan - he bowls and bats. After that, you will get Iftikhar Ahmed - he is a batting all-rounder and then Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim, who are bowling all-rounders. Mohammad Rizwan is a keeper all-rounder."
Shadab Khan is such a utility player in white ball format: more than handy with bat, good with ball and a brilliant fielder.
Vice-captain Shadab Khan is arguably the most accomplished all-rounder in the Pakistan lineup. While he has always been a threat as a leg-spinner, his batting has improved by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years.
Check out the updated list of most runs in Asia Cup 2022 on Sportskeeda.