Pakistan v World XI, 1st T20: World XI Predicted XI

Cricket returns to Pakistan after it was stalled for more than 8 years. The fans are ecstatic and are desperately looking forward to catching the action which kicks off on Tuesday when Pakistan line up against the World XI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to play the first of the 3 T20 internationals.

PCB never gave up on the dream of international cricket returning to the nation and was ultimately rewarded for their persistence when the ICC agreed to send a World XI to Pakistan. The focus now shifts to the cricket where Pakistan have a point to prove. They haven’t played together since their historic triumph against India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in June. Sarfaraz will have to quickly regroup and ensure that the side produces their A game as a number of people will be watching them play over this week.

Faf du Plessis is pleased to have been able to help Pakistan out in restoring cricketing ties in the country. He has a bunch of experienced cricketers, who have plied their trade for various teams over a number of years. Good players don’t go down without a fight even if they aren’t playing for their respective countries hence Pakistan must expect a stiff competition. The squad is coached by Andy Flower, who has been a national coach of England in the past.

Let us look at the Predicted XI for Faf du Plessis’ side:

Openers (Hashim Amla and Tamim Iqbal)

Most people termed Hashim Amla a Test specialist but the South African has time and again proved his efficiency in limited overs cricket. The right-hander hit 2 centuries for his IPL side Kings XI Punjab this year which stunned people about his effectiveness in the shortest format of the game. He is expected to face the new ball in all three games.

Tamim Iqbal’s reputation has enhanced leaps and bounds in the last 18 months. The opening batsman has played a lot of decisive knocks for his country which led them to win crucial games against higher ranked teams. The left-hander will be proud to walk out with Hashim Amla, who is hailed as one of the best batsmen of the modern era.

Middle order (Faf du Plessis, George Bailey, David Miller and Tim Paine)

Du Plessis is expected to occupy the No. 3 slot, which he usually does when he turns up for the Proteas. His expertise in this format brought him into prominence in international cricket during his early days in cricket. The skipper averages a healthy 37.63 in T20I and will be looking to bat till the last over of the innings. His leadership has been effective for South Africa and will be tested in this series as he will be leading players from different countries and backgrounds.

While George Bailey’s last T20I for Australia came exactly a year ago, he still remains a hot property in various T20 leagues. He recently plied his trade for Hampshire in the NatWest T20 Blast. An average of almost 30 and a strike rate north of 130, Bailey is a serious batsman at No. 4.

Miller is known for his explosive batting especially in this format. He rose to fame after delivering consistent performances in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab. The southpaw is a perfect No. 5 and has amassed over 5,000 runs in T20 cricket. He has made his runs at a healthy average of 34.35 and a strike rate of 137.56.His job will be to ensure that the innings picks up momentum in the latter stages.

After a long layoff, Paine finally played for Australia this year after spending 6 years in the wilderness. He is a fine wicket-keeper batsman, capable of producing cameos towards the end of an innings.

All-rounders (Grant Elliot and Ben Cutting)

Elliot’s career statistics might not impress many but everyone knows how effective operator he is in shorter formats. Aged 38, the former Kiwi international is famously remembered for his match winnings innings against his native nation South Africa in the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup. His role will be greater with the ball in this team as he will operate as a third medium pacer of the side.

Ben Cutting has expressed his delight to be able to help restore cricket in Pakistan. The Queenslander is a big hitter of the ball and a slick operator with the ball during the middle overs. He, along with Elliot, will be responsible for playing dual roles for this team.

Bowlers (Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, and Samuel Badree)

Morne Morkel has played enough T20 cricket in the IPL to warrant a place in the XI. 175 sticks from 161 games at an economy rate of below 8 certainly give a good reading. His ability to extract bounce even on a docile pitch will be helpful for his side.

Wrist spin is a luxury to have in limited overs cricket and World XI have two of the best going around the world. While Samuel Badree relies more on his wicket to wicket line, Tahir blossoms when his variations come out perfectly on a given day. Both are leg-spinners but have contrasting styles to counter attacking stroke play. In all probability, du Plessis might hand the new ball to Badree and save his national teammate Tahir for the middle overs. Tahir is an attacking bowler who doesn’t mind trading a few runs to capture wickets while Badree makes sure that the batsmen don’t get easy runs.