One can never write off Pakistan in a global event and that will be the case again when Babar Azam and Co head into the ODI World Cup in India on the back of an inconsistent run.
Not so long ago, Pakistan was looking like a well-rounded unit, but their Asia Cup campaign has exposed the chinks in their armour.
Playing in India will give the players the chance to become national heroes overnight. Pakistan opens its tournament campaign against the Netherlands here on October 6. Despite the injury to Naseem Shah, Pakistan’s pace attack remains a potent force. The ball tends to swing in the powerplay at most venues in India, and Shaheen would be aiming to exploit that, including against India in Ahmedabad on October 14.
His new ball partner in Naseem’s absence remains undecided, but the choice is likely to be between the seriously quick Haris Rauf and the seasoned Hasan Ali, who is making a comeback.
The batting relies heavily on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and they both looked in sublime touch in the opening warm-up against New Zealand here on Friday. It could be a legacy-defining campaign for Babar, who would aim to lead from the front. The absence of Naseem has definitely created a window of opportunity for the opposition batters. Shaheen and Naseem are relentless with the new ball, and rivals have to deal with only one half of the destructive duo.
Rauf, who usually comes in to bowl as the first change, opened the bowling against New Zealand but did not look as effective despite his express pace. There will be added pressure on Hasan, who is likely to be targeted by rival teams in all phases of the game considering his medium pace.
The opening combination of Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman also doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Big-match batter Zaman needs to overcome his inconsistency.
