Pakistan vs World XI, 3rd T20I: Pakistan Predicted XI

What better way for cricket to be resurrected in a cricket loving country like Pakistan when the opponent kept the series alive after being embarrassed in the first match of the series. With the atmosphere at the Gaddafi Stadium being supreme and the quality of cricket being good enough, there is no way that the decider will be anything short of exciting. Since there is no dearth of drama with Pakistan around, the second game of the series was meant to be a cliffhanger.

It was obvious in the first match that the hosts had the upper hand over the World XI but grasping quickly, they made up for their lack of awareness about playing conditions in Pakistan and provided viewers with a satiating performance in the next match. The visitors will now have an idea about the combination they want to go in with, for the decider, but Pakistan too would be aware of the winning combination.

Here’s the Predicted XI for Pakistan in the final T20I of the series:

Openers (Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shahzad)

Even though he fell early in the first match, and did not hold on to his wicket in the second one either, Zaman gets the leverage despite the low scores because, with batsmen like him, destructive innings can be on the cards on his day. He usually bats at a strike rate of above 150 and that is amongst the biggest factors in his style of play. In spite of the inconsistency, the trend of having a hard hitter at the top of a team’s batting order has found immense success. If Zaman is able to hold on to his wickets after a calm, yet destructive carnage in the initial overs, the purpose for having him in the team can hardly be questioned.

Shahzad has the same story as Zaman in the series though slightly better. In both games, he has been able to consolidate the Pakistan innings in the initial overs and has gone to score 39 and 43 in the matches but he has failed to kick from there on.

Middle Order (Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed)

Babar Azam is one of those two people in the middle order who has been the reason for most of Pakistan’s runs in both the matches, comprising scores of 86 and 45. He is consistent and aesthetically pleasing and a type of batsman that Pakistan can bank on, especially in limited overs cricket. Pakistan will rely on Babar yet again to be the backbone of their innings in front of his home crowd.

Shoaib Malik became the highest scorer for Pakistan in T20I’s in the last game during his blazing innings of 39. However, the most experienced in the team cannot afford to drop catches, he dropped Thisara Perera at long off which eventually cost them the game. He is always a possible spin option for Sarfaraz.

Skipper Sarfaraz has looked out of sorts, scoring single-digit scores in both games including a golden duck in the last game. Sarfaraz will be looking to change that in the last match in order to lead his boys to put a fitting end to the series.

All-rounder (Imad Wasim and Sohail Khan)

A lot of responsibility is on Imad to perform the task of a hard-hitter down the order, and play the role of a steady bowler for his side. Wasim can fit that role and does a job for his skipper bowling with the new ball. His wicket to wicket line makes it tough for the batsman to get him off for runs.

After a decent outing in the first match, Sohail looked relatively out of sorts in the next one. He was expensive, giving his runs over 11 runs per over and ended with 0/44. Sohail has quality and he will be expected to replicate his performance of the first match in the deciding game of the series.

Bowlers (Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali and Ruman Raees)

Left-arm spinner Nawaz had a decent outing in the last game, returning with 1/25. He is a different bowler than Imad, who relies more on turn and giving the ball some air. The left-handed batsman can be a solid contributor lower down the order.

At 18, and fresh from a fairly good outing in the CPL, Shadab is one of the best young talents in the country and a known threat on a track that assists spin. He will look to threaten the opponents and look to pick wickets rather than containing the runs.

With Amir missing, Hasan is Sarfraz’s go-to bowler. He will return after sitting out the previous match due to a sore back. Ali’s progress has been phenomenal and his performances at the Champions Trophy, where he was the leading wicket-taker and Player of the Tournament, showed what a great find he has been for Pakistan. Even though he was expensive in the first match, he will be a key bowler for the hosts.

Though he is not as fast as Amir, Rumman is, however, a thinking cricketer and his subtle variety could cause the visitors some problem. He too got the wickets in the first match despite being expensive but was wicket-less in the next and will be looking to better the numbers.