In London, Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, is preparing for their T20 World Cup opener against hosts United States. They are still figuring out how to improve their game.
Their weaknesses were clear in their recent loss to England in the final T20 match at The Oval. Pakistan has improved their slow starts in the first six overs, but they struggle in the middle of their innings. This raises concerns about their chances in the upcoming World Cup.
Pakistan batted first and scored 59-1 in the first six overs. However, after Babar and Mohammad Rizwan got out, they couldn’t recover.
Between the eighth and 15th overs, they only managed 41 runs and lost five wickets. Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan couldn’t handle England’s spinners and pacer, Mark Wood.
Usman Khan scored an impressive 38 off 21 balls, and Iftikhar Ahmed scored 21 off 18 balls, but Pakistan only reached 157 runs. England chased down this target in less than 16 overs.
Babar Azam, in the post-match press conference, acknowledged Pakistan’s struggles, “As a team, we are collapsing sometimes in bowling and sometimes in batting. We need to figure these things out as soon as possible because the World Cup is near.”
Babar also highlighted the middle-order’s struggles, “We slightly misread the situation. The back-to-back wickets put us under pressure.”
Babar supported his players, “The team has been selected, and all have been chosen on merit. We need to back the players.”
In contrast, England, with leg-spinner Rashid, are feeling confident and positive ahead of the World Cup defense.
Pakistan needs to resolve their issues quickly if they want to succeed in the T20 World Cup.
To read our blog on “Babar Azam reaches another benchmark in T20Is,” click here
