T20 World Cup 2021: "Australia will not allow Pakistan to score like they did against Namibia and Scotland" - Inzamam-ul-Haq
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq praised the team's string of performances in the Super 12 stages of the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, he feels there is still room for improvement.
Inzamam noted how Pakistan have a tendency to start slowly and he does not want the team to do the same in their semi-final encounter against Australia.
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The Men in Green topped their group with five wins out of five to their name and are the only unbeaten side remaining in the tournament. Inzamam warned the team that scoring the bulk of the runs at the back end of the innings, as they have done so far in this tournament, will not be easy against a potent Australian bowling unit.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam said:
"Pakistan are playing positive cricket, their body language on the field is looking good, captaincy is good. Lots of things are going in Pakistan's favor, but there is still room for improvement. Australia is a big team, Pakistan's planning should also be up to the mark. Pakistan should look to improve their scoring rate in the first 10 overs. They have been scoring at the rate of 6 or 6.5 in the first 10 overs. Australia will not allow Pakistan to score like they did against Namibia and Scotland."
Pakistan's opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been prolific, with the former being the leading runscorer in the tournament as well. The foundation laid by the openers has not been wasted, with the middle order batsmen backing it up with their displays as well.
Middle-order batting was deemed a concern heading into the tournament for Pakistan, but the performances of the likes of Asif Ali and Shoaib Malik have been crucial to the team's success.
Pakistan are playing like a team now: Inzamam
Inzamam added that all of the factors are in favor of Pakistan at the minute with the only minor concern being the form of Fakhar Zaman. The left-handed batsman, batting at No.3 in the current setup, has been struggling in the World Cup so far. Inzamam added:
"Hafeez and Malik are now in good touch. Hafeez came into the tournament in poor form, but now he looks in good rhythm. Malik has not been able to play big innings in this tournament, he did not have the opportunity , but he got one against Scotland. It is another good sign that all batsmen have got to play ahead of the semi-finals. Hasan Ali also got in rhythm after a few poor matches at the start. Shadab also bowled well. Only Fakhar Zaman is looking out of touch. Healthy signs for Pakistan before semi-final. They are playing like a team now."
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Pakistan will look to add a second T20 World Cup title to their name after their triumph in the 2009 edition. They will face Australia in the second semi-final on Thursday (November 11) in Dubai.
Click here to view the full list of ICC T20 World Cup 2021 team and squads.