Published: Sep 24, 2016, 06:04 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 24, 2016, 08:40 PM (IST)
After winning the first Twenty20 International (T20I) by a record margin, Pakistan will be keen to continue their juggernaut against West Indies in the second match of the three-T20I series. The second match will also be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai which played host to the first T20I as well. Pakistan were skippered by the young and dynamic Sarfraz Ahmed, who was spot-on in his tactics on the field. West Indies, led by Carlos Brathwaite looked completely baffled by his team’s performance on the field with both bat and ball. West Indies hardly looked the ICC World Twenty20 (WT20) Champions they are after miraculously winning in the last over against England in April.
Pakistan were completely in charge of the game in all departments. Imad Wasim, who was the star with the bat in the England series, finally came into his own with the ball with a pitch conditions in UAE similar back home in Pakistan. Hasan Ali who made his debut for Pakistan in England One-Day International series (ODIs), proved why he can be developed into a tear away bowler, who gets the ball to skid and attain zip from the wicket. Khalid Latif continued his good form with the bat, was ably supported by Babar Azam, who has been constantly accused of slow batting. Apart from the Pakistan it was the dew that helped the host team in chasing the total with much ease.
Top-order:
Sharjeel Khan who won everyone’s hearts by his belligerent batting display in Ireland and England was expected to come out all guns blazing and provide Pakistan another easy victory. In the one-off T20I against England, Sharjeel hammered English bowlers all around the park. Sharjeel scored a 18-ball 22 which included 3 fours and a massive six. Other opener Khalid Latif, who provided a good start with the bat in the T20I against England, continued to do the same with the bat.
Even in this innings he made a slow to start, but went to score more than run-a-ball eventually. Babar Azam who hit the winning run against England, finally got his opportunity to showcase his talent on the international stage. Babar, who was frequently accused of slow batting, provided everyone wrong with a swashbuckling innings. Babar struck a 37-ball 55 to help Pakistan achieve their target fairly easily.
Middle-Order:
Pakistan’s middle order remained untested in the first T20I mainly because of their openers getting the target easily. Slated to come-in at No. 4 Shoaib Malik will have to play a huge part being Pakistan’s most experienced player. In England he remained to hit 30’s and 40’s which does not do any justice to his talent. Shoaib with his bowling can also be a handful in UAE. Coming in next is Pakistan’s skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, who has been quite the maverick with the bat in the past few months. Recently turned skipper, Sarfraz was on the mark with his field placement and changes. Sarfraz has time and again showcased his batting prowess will once again be responsible for providing late-burst.
All-rounders:
Mohammad Nawaz, who is being groomed in the side as a proper all-rounder is yet to announce himself on the international stage. Just three T20Is old, Nawaz has not gotten a chance to bat, while bowling he has just managed to pick one solitary wicket that too, in the last match. Pakistan’s rising superstar Imad Wasim, had risen through the ranks by leaps and bounce. Imad scored valuable half-centuries against England in the ODIs when Pakistan toured the British Isles. Imad with his ball has been a revelation as well picking up wickets after wickets for his team. Imad was instrumental in Pakistan’s win over England in the one-off T20I and proved his detractors wrong, yet again!
Bowlers:
Pakistan dropped a shocker by not picking Mohammad Aamer and going in for Sohail Tanvir. Tanvir who had a brilliant Caribbean Premier League 2016 (CPL) is regarded as one of the most potent bowler in the T20 format; his season with winners of Indian Premier League (IPL) Rajasthan Royals is legendary. Tanvir is on a back trail in the Pakistani squad but needs to showcase his talent with the ball on the field. Wahab Riaz, a bowler who instills fear in the minds of batsmen with his sharp and ferocious bowling after a long time made his claim in the T20 side, after a dominating show in the one-off T20I against England. Riaz who is yet to fulfill his talent completely has been on the fringes for long and now needs to brick his place in the team forever.
Final screw in the Pakistani bowling cog is Hasan. Hasan put up an impressive show against England in both the ODI’s and the T20I by his skills and discipline with the ball. Hasan is a bowler who can make the batsmen play each and every ball, which is of primary importance for any bowler. Hasan has impressed one-and-all with his ability to control the ball under swinging conditions and ability to draw batsmen into playing a rash shot.
Aamer rightly has been rested from the playing XI seeing his workload on the England tour it becomes impervious that Pakistan handle him with care and much fragility. With two more matches remaining in the series, Pakistan will look to seal another victory and attain an unassailable 2-0 lead. Pakistan will in all probability will not tinker with a XI that is winning and knows how to get the work done. Knowing that the West Indies are WT20 Champions, they must not be taken lightly by a one-off poor show, and Sarfraz and his troops must not get complacent.
Likely XI: Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali
(Vishal Mehra is a reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @capturethecatch )
