Last Updated on 9 months ago by Charbel Coorey
3 areas for Pakistan to work on if they wish to be T20 World Cup contenders | T20 World Cup contenders? 3 areas for Pakistan to improve
We are getting closer to the T20 World Cup with each passing day. Therefore, it is important for every team to resolve whatever issues they have in their T20 side prior to the mega event.
Tagged as the “unpredictables” in the cricket fraternity, Pakistan have a very decent T20I record in recent times. However, things have not been as smooth as they appear on paper. They have some real issues, which have been exposed in recent times, and need to address those quickly in order to get themselves prepared for the T20 World Cup.
In this article, I am going to highlight three such areas to work on for Pakistan in their upcoming series against a strong English side.
Also read: Twitter reactions to Pakistan’s 3-0 defeat vs inexperienced, new-look England
Performance of the middle order batsmen
Pakistan have won seven out of their 10 T20Is in 2021. In the seven games they have won, their top three batsmen have scored 77.78% of the total runs (excluding extras). On the other hand, their top order has contributed 49.72% of the total runs in the three T20Is they have lost. This shows that their batting relies largely on their top three, and they have failed as a batting unit whenever their top order batsmen have failed to score big.
If I consider the T20Is they have played since the start of 2020, batsmen from numbers 4-7 batsmen have cumulative average and SR of just 18.53 and 121.14. They have a boundary run percentage of a mere 52.8,1 and have taken 7.11 deliveries to hit a single boundary.
So, it is evident from these facts that this problem has been persistent with them for quite a while now. They have tried so many players at different positions, but have not been able to find their best players to bat in the middle order so far, which is definitely a matter of concern. They are in the “group of death” involving Australia, West Indies and New Zealand in the upcoming T20 World Cup, need to resolve their middle order woes to be competitive.
Batting in the powerplay while batting first
Contrary to their reputation, Pakistan have been a good chasing side in recent times. Since 2020, they have won 10 out of the 11 games they were required to chase.
However, they have been ordinary while batting first as they have lost four out of the nine such games. One of the major reasons for these defeats is the approach of their batsmen in the powerplay phase. Generally, in the first six overs of a T20 game, you need to exploit the field restrictions and take your chances in order to provide a quick start to your side. But, the Pakistani batsmen haven’t been able to do that consistently.
Talking about the T20Is they have batted first in since 2020, the Pakistani batsmen have a cumulative SR of just 111.12 in the first six overs. Their dot-ball percentage is a huge 48.76 and they have taken almost six balls to hit a boundary in the powerplay phase. Also, they have lost almost two wickets on an average in the first six overs of the game, which has put them on the back foot.
Therefore, they definitely need to work on this area if they want to put challenging totals while batting first.
Bowling in the powerplay against top sides since 2020
If I exclude Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Pakistan have played 13 games against top-class opponents like England, New Zealand and South Africa since 2020. They have won seven and lost five out of these 13 matches; one game being abandoned due to rain.
In those 12 completed games, the Pakistani bowlers have not been up to the mark in the first six overs. Statistically, they have a cumulative bowling average of 38.18 in the powerplay, coupled with a strike rate of 27, highlighting their struggle to take wickets in the powerplay. They have conceded runs at an economy rate of 8.48, conceding a boundary every 4.59 balls.
Cause for significant improvement.
On a given day, Pakistan can certainly beat any side stronger than them on paper. However, their unpredictability prevents them from being a consistent side in international cricket. These are the three areas that I feel they need to work on to become a bit more consistent from now onwards. Their upcoming series against England will provide them the opportunity and I am hoping for some improvement by the men in green.
Do any others come to mind? Share your thoughts!
Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.
