T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest Pakistan Predicted Playing XI against Afghanistan

The Pakistan side has experienced a fairytale start to its campaign in the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup. The Babar Azam-led outfit has emerged victorious in both the matches that they have played in the Super 12 stages of the competition, and are perched atop the points table in Group 2.

Next up, the ‘Men in Green’ will take on Afghanistan. Afghanistan will enter this clash after dishing out a resounding thrashing to the Scotland side, beating their opposition by a mammoth margin of 130 runs. In this article, let us take a look at the predicted playing XI of the Pakistan side for this contest.

Openers: Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam put on a match-winning partnership of 152 runs for the opening wicket to enable the Pakistan side to hammer India by 10 wickets in Pakistan’s opening rubber. In Pakistan’s second match, Azam could only score 9 runs, while Rizwan scored a patient 34-ball 33. Pakistan will be banking on the Azam-Rizwan duo to provide a good start in the match against Afghanistan.

Middle Order: Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali

Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, and Asif Ali will comprise the middle order for Pakistan’s clash against Afghanistan. Zaman scored a slow 17-ball 11 in the match against New Zealand. Shoaib Malik brought all his experience into play, stayed till the end, and scored a superb 26* off 20 deliveries. Asif Ali tore into the Kiwi bowling attack and scored a sensational 12-ball 27* to help Pakistan beat New Zealand.

All Rounders: Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, and Shadab Khan

Mohammad Hafeez scored a quickfire 11 off 6 deliveries for the Babar Azam-led outfit against New Zealand. Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim did a tidy job with the ball for the ‘Men in Green’ against the Kiwis. While Wasim scalped a solitary wicket in his 4 overs and gave away 24 runs, Khan leaked 19 runs in his quota of 3 overs.

Bowlers: Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan will go in with the three-pronged pace attack of Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Haris Rauf was superb with the ball against New Zealand and scalped 4 wickets in his 4-over spell, leaking runs at an economy rate of just 5.50 per over.

Shaheen Afridi picked up a solitary scalp in his 4 overs and gave away 21 runs against the Kiwis, while Hasan Ali was on the expensive side, and went for 26 runs in his 3 overs and failed to pick up even a single wicket.