Asia Cup T20 2016 Preview: Pakistan

The focus of the cricket fans will now shift to the upcoming Asia Cup T20 2016. The 13th edition of the tournament will be hosted by Bangladesh and is the first to be played in the Twenty20 format. All teams will be pitted against each other in a single group and the two teams to top the points table will meet for the summit clash. Pakistan will start out as one of the top contenders in the five-nation tournament where they will face completion for the coveted trophy from arch-rival India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and one associate team which comes through the qualifier.

Shahid Afridi will lead the charge as they start the campaign against India. The fans will finally get to see a match between India and Pakistan after a bilateral series couldn’t materialize last year despite several efforts. The much-awaited match will be played on February 27 at the Sher-e-Bangla, Mirpur, Dhaka. The Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup T20 looks impressive. The team has a good balance of specialist batsmen and frontline bowlers along with a handful of talented all-rounders.

Team News:

Mohammad Amir gets to play his first major tournament after making a comeback into the team. The Pakistani selectors also rewarded left-handed batsman Sharjeel Khan, spin bowling all-rounder Mohammed Nawaz and fast bowler Mohammad Sami for their performance in the recently concluded PSL. Both of them are yet to be capped in T20 internationals. Surprisingly, there is no Ahmed Shehzad who seem to have been excluded due to lack of form.

Batting Strengths:

Pakistan will be hoping that the likes of Mohammed Hafeez, Umar Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed will come good at the top of the order. Hafeez had a decent time in the last T20I series against New Zealand and is performing decently in the PSL too. Same goes with Umar Akmal and Sarfraz who are doing well in the ongoing PSL. The experience of Shoaib Malik in the middle order will add strength to the batting armor. The right-hander has been a vital cog in the Pakistan batting line-up and his presence can make a difference. All-rounders Shahid Afridi Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khurram Manzoor will be playing key roles in the batting order as well. Sharjeel Khan, who had an amazing PSl, can prove his mettle at the international levvel also.

Bowling Strengths:

The pace attack looks solid. Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz are always a threat to the opposition. Skipper Shahid Afridi, who is reaping wickets in the PSL at the moment, and will lead the spin bowling department. Although there are no proper spinners in the squad, it won’t affect much in presence of worthy part-timers and spin bowling all-rounders.

Previous Performances:

Pakistan has won this title two times. The first title came in 2000. Later, they had to wait for 12 years for the next which came in the year 2012 after they defeated Bangladesh narrowly by two runs in the finals.

Fixtures:

February 27th – Pakistan v India, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

February 29th – Pakistan v TBC, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

March 2nd – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

March 4th – Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka

Squad:

Shahid Afridi (C), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Rumman Raees