Pakistan still has a point to make in Australia a year after shocking India to start the last tournament before losing in dramatic manner in the semi-final stages.
Squad
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Fakhar Zaman are Pakistan’s other players. Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Usman Qadir are on standby.
Top result at the tournament
Champions (2009)
After recovering from a final loss to India in the first edition, Pakistan continued with their highly experienced team for the 2009 competition. They lost to England in Group Stage play but advanced to the Super 8s thanks to a decisive victory against the Netherlands.
Despite defeating New Zealand and Ireland to go to the semifinals, where they upset South Africa, Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the following round.
In order to win the championship, Pakistan had to defeat Sri Lanka in their second encounter. Shahid Afridi’s 54* (40) helped Pakistan win by eight wickets at Lord’s after limiting their opponents to 138 with eight balls to spare.
Results from the last ten games
W W L W W L L W W L W W L
T20 World Cup performance in 2021
Semi-finalists
Pakistan appeared to be the form side for the majority of the 2021 season, with their 10-wicket win against India driving them to favoritism. They held the tag thanks to strong performances throughout the Super 12 stage, yet a brilliant individual batting effort by Matthew Wade in the dying stages stole the semi-final from Babar Azam’s men.
Games:
vs. India (October 23) – Melbourne
v Group B Winner (October 27) – Perth
v Group A Runner-up (October 29) – Perth
South Africa vs. Australia (November 3) – Sydney
Adelaide vs. Bangladesh (November 6)
Important game
v India – A historic rivalry that needs no explanation, this match was sold out in five minutes at a stadium seating 100,000 people, and the outcome will likely determine both sides’ campaigns.
History may be on Pakistan’s side in ICC global championships, but their most recent meeting at a T20 World Cup was a resounding victory.
To win, Pakistan would need a similar effort from the opening combination with the bat, on top of a good foundation laid by the bowling group.
Key Figure
Babar Azam – Babar would need to be the most all-around player in the game in 2022 to place in the top three on the men’s MRF Tyres batting rankings in every format. Babar can switch into a more practical, offensive role while still remaining lax and aesthetically beautiful to the cricket tragic.
Despite having a dearth of bowling quality, Pakistan will need his adjustments and field placements to win the championship.
Final Verdict
Pakistan is getting closer to being the polished product in T20I cricket, as seen by their run to the semi-finals in the UAE. Pakistan enters the competition after a tri-series victory in New Zealand alongside Bangladesh despite reaching the Asia Cup final only to lose to the underdog Sri Lanka and dropping home T20I series to Australia and England.
