T20 World Cup 2022: 3 weaknesses in the Pakistani squad that can be exploited
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan side will be eyeing their second T20 World Cup title in Australia. They will kickstart their campaign with a marquee clash against arch-rivals India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23.
Pakistan defeated the Men in Blue for the first time in a World Cup fixture last year and will be keen to pull off the same again. Apart from India, they are grouped alongside Bangladesh and South Africa in Group 2 of the Super 12 phase of the tournament. Two other teams will join them at the conclusion of the initial round.
Not every team has all bases covered heading into the T20 World Cup with the odd chink in their ranks inevitable. It's much the same with Pakistan and given the prowess in their ranks on the bowling front, most of their weaknesses tend to stem out of their batting lineup.
Let's take a look at three such weaknesses in their squad which their opponents can exploit to good effect come the marquee event.
#1 Pakistan's openers are slow starters
More concerning though, is the fact that Pakistan’s run rate batting first of 7.81 RPO this year is the third worst in the world: only Bangladesh & Sri Lanka score more slowly when setting a target. For comparison England are 9.67, India 9.43 & South Africa 9.36. #BANvPAK
There is no denying the fact that this current Pakistan team prefers chasing over setting totals. It's a move away from their teams of yore that often used to take the safe route with the bat first before unleashing their bowlers.
Mind you, they managed to do that successfully against England in the recently concluded series. Having said that, the tempo of their openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has always come under scrutiny. Whenever the duo have failed to set the tone upfront, it has almost always led to the Men in Green playing catch up.
Needless to say, tying them down from the outset is a plan that opposition teams can use to good effect at the T20 World Cup.
#2 Untested middle order
Pakistan's biggest strength in their batting department has also been their biggest weakness on multiple occasions - their openers. Rizwan and Babar possess undeniable consistency and class, but their long occupancy at the crease has come at a cost at times.
Their middle order has remained untested in large swathes of their build-up to the T20 World Cup, leaving a huge question mark over the same. In some ways, that justifies the need for either of their openers to bat through the innings, but it comes back to bite them on days when the requisite tempo goes missing. A case in point being the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka last month.
Opposition teams can certainly put this untested middle order featuring Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Asif Ali under the pump at the T20 World Cup, should they get past the openers well inside the powerplay.
#3 Troubles against sheer velocity
When Mark Wood was drafted into England's XI for the third T20I against Pakistan last month, his ferocious pace tormented the top order and blew it away to smithereens. This is an area of concern for Babar and Co. as they set out to achieve T20 World Cup glory in Australia.
Cast your mind back to the Asia Cup and Hardik Pandya's pace and bounce was too hot to handle for the Men in Green in their first game of the competition.
The extra bounce in Australia is only going to make life difficult for their batters. While India have Pandya, Bangladesh can call upon Taskin Ahmed and South Africa's irresistible duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are quite a proposition to deal with.
Clearly, this Pakistani batting outfit is much more at ease against spin than sheer pace. Expect teams to cash in on this and make use of it to the fullest at the T20 World Cup.
Where do you think Pakistan will finish at the upcoming T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments section below!
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