Dunya Exclusive - Challenges Pakistan have to surmount
Cricket
This time round, the Pakistani side is uniquely different due to multiple factors
By Ahad Khan
All eyes are on Oct 6 - the day Pakistan will be facing the Netherlands to mark the start of their ambitious sojourn in the World Cup.
This time round, the Pakistani side is uniquely different due to multiple factors.
If we start with the captaincy, Babar Azam, one of the top batters in the world, is leading the side. Now Babar Azam's personality is quite different from his predecessors who led Pakistan in successive world cups.
Babar, a swashbuckler with the bat, is a bit laidback when it comes to captaincy. His calm and defensive nature has stark difference from previous captains, with Misbahul Haq being an exception, with whom he has few similarities.
Babar, due to a lack of vast experience in captaincy, finds it hard at times to cope when the chips are down. His generous cricket buffs who rally behind him irrespective of chinks in his armour think otherwise.
If coached and guided well by team management, Babar is someone who can register his presence assertively on the field.
Now if we come to the young Pakistan side, emotions run high as most of the players are newbies with limited experience of contest in high-voltage games of ODI world cups. None of the players in the squad has been playing at the international level for the last 10 years.
Read more: Babar needs to put his thinking cap on
A bankable opening pair is the strength followed by number one batter, their captain. But there is a lot to be desired when it comes to the middle order. This is a lacuna which could have been filled with a senior player in the middle order but what compensates this factor is the inclusion of Saud Shakil and Muhammad Rizwan who can build the momentum.
All-round performance expectations are rightly pinned on vice captain Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz who on their days, can turn the matches in Pakistan's favour.
Now comes the absolute forte of Pakistan, the fast bowling attack, which despite the unfortunate injury of Naseem Shah resulting in his exclusion from the world cup squad, has the ability to rip through any batting lineup.
Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Waseem, Hassan Ali and the reserved newbie, Zaman Khan, can rattle the stumps (and opponents) with their swing and pace. The only challenge Shaheen will have to overcome is to stop the top order from accumulating runs so that his fellow fast bowlers can take the charge and show the batsmen exit route to the pavilion.
All other things being equal, a bit of aggression and poise can help Babar Azam lead from the front.
Put your thinking cap on, Babar. The country is all support for you.
