(Info4now, October 29, 2021)- There were Mitchell Santner for New Zealand and Ravindra Jadeja for India—two left arm orthodox spinners to rein Pakistani right hand batsmen. But it didn’t work to its best. Now as they to lock horns with Afghanistan in Afghanistan vs Pakistan Super 12 game, they should take into account some of the world class slowers. Both the teams have enough knowledge of the wicket of United Arab Emirates. They play lots of games here. They have a decent start to the tournament owing to such familiarity with the condition. Afghanistan rank among the first eight teams and have not necessitated to go through any qualification round.
Preview: Afghanistan vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2021
Afghanistan have a fantastic top and middle to keep going well with the run rate. They are experienced and most importantly very fearless with the bat. Mohammad Nabi can bat in the middle and Rashid Khan down the order make it a longer batting line. But what they possess as a weapon against Pakistan is their strong bowling combination. With a young pace bowling attack, it is all experience in the spin department. Two top class spinners—one Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the other Rashid are always tough to face. Besides being very professional with the ball, they can read the minds of the batsmen. They keep the batsmen guessing with special varieties of carrom ball and googly deliveries.
Will Pakistan remain as clinical as were against two top test rankings teams? Is it going to be an easier one? No… exactly not. They have to be very careful against Afghanistan. As we expected a rich variety in their bowling in the India vs Pakistan contest, Pakistan completely dominate with the bowling along with the English side. Shaheen Shah Afridi with the pace and swing surprises even on a slower track. Such accuracy of swing with maximum pace needs double care from a batsman. Hasan Ali not in rhythm, but will continue as a wicket taker. Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim need no introduction, especially on the track of UAE. Rauf is superfast and can hit the block hole hard.
While Babar Azam is one to follow a copy book of cricket, Rizwan is always with the format. They are followed by the experienced Fakhar Zaman and Md. Hafeez. Shoiab Malik played an important role and should take greater responsibility in the middle to handle any crumbling. It’s a long batting line up, it being stretched to number 8.
To Conclude
It’s a good game in the context of the competition in Group 2. In fact, it’s going to be a fantastic contest of the white ball. With the experience of class level competitions, no doubt, Pakistan have a slight edge over the opposition. But in cricket, it’s just a game of a day. A good phase can take the game away from the opposition easily. With dew factor to interfere in the contest, it’s an easy decision to field first being on the right side of the coin.