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Pakistan will play England, ranked second, at home for the first time in seventeen years after their disastrous Asia Cup campaign.
Less than a month separates this epic seven-match series from the T20 World Cup in Australia. Although the team for the major tournament has already been announced, anything can happen, especially in the unpredictable world of Pakistani cricket.
These five Pakistani players, who might use some eye-catching performances to lighten things up, are under the media limelight for different reasons ahead of the first game of the series.
1- Babar Azam
If Babar Azam had the ability, he would roll the Asia Cup in a carpet, fasten it to a cement block and toss it into the sea, hoping it would sink. Given his terrible performance in the event, he would be content to never see or hear from the tournament again.
In his six appearances, the man, who averages 42.36 in a T20I, failed to score more than 30.
His tournament average was 11.33 runs, and all he could muster was a pitiful 68 runs. Babar would have been watching the England series from the luxury of his drawing room, holding a remote control in place of a bat, if it had been any other cricket player but Muhammad Rizwan.
But Babar Azam is the man in question here. Babar the batter gets a pass because of the goodwill that has grown over the years from his flawless run-scoring. But that luxury is not afforded to Babar the captain, particularly in light of the prevailing narrative that his leadership cost Pakistan the Asia Cup championship.
After that terrifying show, Babar has a little opportunity to put those horrible memories behind him with some glitzy cover drives and some 60s and 70s, even though they come with, let’s say, a strike rate of 115.
The powers that be are unlikely to replace him with a new captain so close to the World Cup, even if he fails again (God forbid), but it would undoubtedly increase the cumulative harm that can be attributed to the massive changes that usually always occur after the World Cup.
2- Mohammad Rizwan
We live in a bizarre world where a man who finished first in the previous tournament is now under pressure to do well. That is the extent of the technicality of modern cricket.
Rizwan’s issue at the Asia Cup was very different from Babar’s, who struggled to stay at the crease for extended periods of time. The script was turned on him when it was determined that he had lingered around for far longer than necessary.
His career strike rate of 127.07 is even lower than Babar’s, but it dropped by an additional 10 to roughly 117 at the Asia Cup.
Now, the diminutive custodian must battle to demonstrate his ability to score goals swiftly. Similar to Babar, Rizwan’s position in the T20 team is unlikely to be threatened anytime soon due to his growing goodwill, which is further reinforced by the dearth of options beneath him.
But in the bizarre world of Pakistani cricket, where stories can matter, he might lose his spots in the other two formats where he isn’t regarded as indispensable if he can’t conceal the one weakness in his armor.
3- Iftikhar Ahmed
Let’s face it: Iftikhar Ahmed has detractors, and some of their issues are unrelated to cricket. Set aside concerns about his strike rate and form.
What the fans think of this “32-year-old” should be explained by his nickname, “Chacha” (uncle).
Iftikhar does not have the luxury of having an excellent body of work that has been developed and chiseled over years to rely on in times of difficulty, unlike Babar, Rizwan, and some others.
The only thing he has mastered is his image as a versatile player who can do it everything and isn’t even close to finishing a game.
Based on historical evidence, team members who lack a clear function and are not particularly well-liked by the crowd can often serve as the first line of defense when faced with criticism. Even if he was on the first, still-editable list, the selectors wouldn’t hesitate to remove him from the World Cup squad.
As a result, Iftikhar would require a significant England series and could use one or two games in which he wins or loses.
4- Khushdil Shah
You may say the same things about Khushdil as you can about Iftikhar, with the exception of the age joke.
One more of those purported hard-hitting middle-order batters packed with potential is Khushdil. He is a mainstay of the home circuit who has not yet succeeded at this level.
It makes sense that at times his task might be challenging, particularly since the top openers frequently bat during the crucial portion of the innings and merely provide garbage overs. Nevertheless, Khushdil should have more to offer than a strike rate of 110.31, an average of 20.50, and a maximum of 36, which he scored against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, after 19 T20Is, several of which were against minnows. That clarifies everything.
Despite the perception during the Asia Cup that he was on a temporary basis, the unimpressive left-hander managed to qualify for the World Cup. But every move he makes during the England series will be closely watched by TV pundits who are former cricket players and are now ruthless.
If he makes a mistake, he will be removed from the World Cup team.
5- Usman Qadir
In the event that someone else makes an impression in the England series and Usman Qadir doesn’t, he might also find himself under fire and possibly excluded from the World Cup squad for no real fault of his own.
While some still believe that Qadir is the best legspinner in the nation, Shadab Khan’s bowling comeback and improved batsmanship over the last two PSL seasons have meant that Qadir rarely gets meaningful opportunities.
Given Qadir’s background in Australian domestic leagues, he ought to be traveling with the team.
But Qadir might be the easiest sacrifice to make if someone like another leggie, Abrar Ahmed, were to play out of his skin in the England series and then need to be selected for the World Cup, as nobody would really care or question the decision.
If he makes a mistake, he will be removed from the World Cup team.
