T20 World Cup 2021: 5 reasons why Pakistan has an edge over Afghanistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan will go head-to-head in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday night. It will be Pakistan’s third match of the tournament, while Afghanistan will play its second game.
Both teams are unbeaten in the T20 World Cup, but one team will likely face their first defeat on Friday night. Afghanistan picked up a massive victory over Scotland in their first match of the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets before taking down New Zealand in a very close contest. Afghanistan has the firepower to put a big score on the board, while Pakistan has a balanced side that can adjust to different situations.
The match between the two teams will determine whether Pakistan will easily make it to the semi-finals or need a few more big wins. With that in mind, take a look at five reasons why Pakistan has an edge over Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup group match.
#5. Babar Azam has found the balance in his captaincy for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021
Michael Vaughan rates 🏴 and 🇵🇰 above all other teams at the T20 World Cup after both teams win their opening 2️⃣ games in the tournament 🙌
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Some Pakistani fans were a little skeptical about Babar Azam’s captaincy for the T20 World Cup 2021. Babar has become one of the finest batsmen in the world in all three formats of the game. But his captaincy has come under question during crunch situations.
He made a few questionable decisions during Pakistan’s match against India that allowed the Men in Blue to make some extra runs. However, it looks like Babar has learned from his mistakes pretty quickly.
During the match against New Zealand, Babar was much more active and knew exactly what to do during the first innings. The fielding formations were much better, and he did well to juggle his bowlers throughout the inning.
The Pakistan captain brought in Mohammad Hafeez at the perfect time to remove left-hander Jimmy Neesham. He saved the right amount of overs to have Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf control the Kiwis at the death.
When Pakistan came out to bat, things did not go too well. He did well to protect Asif Ali when the spinners were on and sent him when the pacers came back to bowl. That was one of the wisest decisions Babar made during the match. It was one of the reasons why Pakistan won against the Black Caps.
The T20 World Cup will provide Babar with a lot more opportunities to grow as a captain. He seems much more prepared from the assignment now than he was during the first match. Afghanistan will have to deal with a much more focused and prepared Babar Azam on Friday night.