'Not as strong as we think': Former captain points out major problem for Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup
Pakistan turned heads with their extraordinary 10-wicket win over England but the former batting great feels that they may have a glaring issue that needs sorting out before the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan's opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan showed why they are considered the best in T20Is by leading their side to a 10-wicket win over England on Thursday. England scored 199/5 in the 2nd T20I but Babar and Rizwan made a mockery of the big target, putting up an unbeaten 203-run opening stand with the Pakistan captain scoring his first century in the shortest format of the game.
However, the fact remains that the Pakistan bowling attack conceded nearly 200 runs to England. Pacer Shaheen Afridi continues to sit out due to injury and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has warned that their bowling attack may not be as strong as it seems. “Our bowling is not as strong as we think about it. We have speedsters who can bowl at 140, but since Shaheen Afridi’s absence, we have only bowled well in small parts and not full 20 overs,” said Inzamam on his Youtube channel.
“We bowl well with the new ball, take wickets and generate swing, but everything changes once the ball gets old. They didn’t bowl in the death overs in our conditions. It is worth noting that England are not a strong team over the last six or eight months.”
On Friday, pacer Mohammad Hasnain was taken to the cleaners in Karachi. He could not take any wickets and conceded 54 runs in his four overs. Inzamam said that while the Haris Rauf has evolved beyond being just an express fast bowler quickly, the young Naseem Shah and Hasnain need to bring more variations for different stages of the game. “Haris Rauf has been brilliant. I feel he has improved in the last two years and can now bowl in the powerplay, middle and end overs. Similarly, Naseem and Hasnain need to learn fast ahead of T20 World Cup,” he said.