ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 2: WI vs PAK – Pakistan Predicted Playing XI

Pakistan will be hoping for a turn around of fortunes as they head into the World Cup 2019. The side has been really tested of late and hasn’t been at its best. But the World Cup is such a tournament which by itself is a huge motivation for any team. We’ve seen several teams in the past punching above their weights in the tournament despite having a poor run prior to it.

There are a few concerns that the team would like to address before they play their first game against the Windies. However, there are not as many issues for the team when they have to pick their eleven. The team looks well balanced and pretty much sorted. The ‘Men in Green’ will eye nothing less than adding those two important points to their tally.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Pakistan:

Openers (Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq)

Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq will start the proceedings in the Pakistan innings. These two left-handers have been around for a while now and had a critical role to play when Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017. Even now, they will be critical if their team will have to do well in the tournament.

Both of them have scored a hundred each in the recent series against England. However, it is important for them to maintain consistency. In the English conditions, seeing off the new ball will be crucial. Hence, this duo has got to play watchful cricket in the first 10 or 15 overs so that the rest of the batsmen can capitalise later on.

Middle Order (Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c)(wk))

Babar Azam is the most important member in the Pakistan line-up. He has got an amazing temperament and has the penchant to score big runs. With two centuries in the last three innings for Pakistan, Babar Azam has already announced himself and the oppositions have to be wary about the threat they’ve got in the form of this excellent batsman.

Returning back from the personal tragedy, Asif Ali is expected to get into the eleven straightaway. It will be really tough for him to prepare mentally for this encounter. But his team needs him in this tournament and he’s got to leave the past behind, even though it will be hard. Sarfaraz Ahmed is the other batsman in the middle order but is likely to bat at six or seven. He rotates the strike well and will be handy if his team loses some quick wickets early on.

All Rounders (Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan)

Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, who will in all possibility be playing their last World Cup, will have an important role to fulfil in this team. Being the senior players in the side, it is important for them to take the onus upon themselves and deliver for the team. Both these players have played in England earlier and know how to handle the conditions well.

Moreover, they are handy off-spinners and can pick up important wickets along with restricting the run flow. Shadab Khan is the other player in the all-rounder category. The leg-spinner will need to pick wickets in the middle overs and put his team ahead in the race. He can bat a bit and can assist the top order batsmen if required.

Bowlers (Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Wahab Riaz)

Pakistan is likely to bench Mohammad Amir for the opening encounter. Instead, Shaheen Afridi could be their preferred choice. They’ve backed the youngster a lot and will hope to big performances from him. The left-arm pacer hasn’t found it easy in the last few matches that he played and needs to adjust his lines and lengths quickly.

Hasan Ali could get picked ahead of Imad Wasim for this match. The pacer, even though not as capable as the southpaw, can bat a bit and hit a few lusty blows. He is crafty and uses his variations well to outfox the batsmen. Wahab Riaz, who just made his return to the national team will be the third pacer. He extracted a hint of reverse swing in one of the warm-up games which was quite a sight to watch. Pakistan will want him to do more out in as the tournament progresses forward.