What’s the story?
Ian Bell, in his column for the ICC website, cited Pakistan’s unpredictability as their greatest strength. “The home side won’t know what they are going to be up against and if Pakistan play to the levels of which they are capable, then it’s going to be one hell of a match,” wrote Bell.
He went on to tip England as firm favourites given their potency in recent times. However, he warned that Pakistan cannot be taken lightly, given the strength of their seam bowling line-up.
The column previews the teams ahead of their clash by saying that Pakistan have nothing to lose, and their ability to throw caution to the wind is their greatest strength at the moment.
In case you didn’t know...
Pakistan have only crossed 300 five of the 15 times they have batted first in the last two years. They have lost 18 of the 34 games played in this period. In this tournament, they are the only team to have not crossed 240. Nobody in their top 4 averages more than 41. Their bowling too, is erratic, taking just three wickets in the first game, followed by 9 and 10 wickets in subsequent matches. Their team relies on taking regular wickets, as Pakistan have only chased a total above 270 once since 2015.
The details
Pakistan’s unpredictability has been a sore point for fans and even coach Mickey Arthur, who said earlier today that he hopes for a consistent team. However, Bell feels that this unpredictability could work in their favour, as they have nothing to lose and will give England their all in the semi-final.
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Bell, however, did not shy away from praising England’s form and their ability to succeed in high-pressure situations, and cited last year’s World T20 semi-final as proof. He also recommends against the dropping of Jason Roy, who he feels has the potential to change a game, and by extension, the tournament, in a single innings.
What’s next?
There is not much to do but wait and see how Pakistan perform. There is little indication that they will err from what was a winning XI versus Sri Lanka, however, they may re-jig the batting order, according to Head Coach Mickey Arthur.
England, on the other hand, seem set to replace Roy with Jonny Bairstow ahead of the first semi-final. For Pakistan, the key will be bowling first and taking regular wickets, whereas England will be confident going into this game with their plans intact. However, they might consider playing slightly more defensively to prevent a Lord’s-like disaster from striking.
Author’s take
Pakistan’s unpredictability can be put down to their bowling. When their bowling unit can contain a team to less than 280, they can chase it down with their middle order. Fakhar Zaman will definitely be ‘unpredictable’, particularly if he plays as aggressively as he did against Sri Lanka, but the rest of the batting order must make sure they do not collapse, as they do not bat as deep as England.
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