T20 World Cup 2021: 5 reasons why Pakistan has an edge over Afghanistan

#2. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have been on fire in the T20 World Cup 2021

Shaheen Afridi ripped through India in Pakistan’s first match of the T20 World Cup 2021. Haris Rauf played a side role during the contest but did not get much recognition for his work with the ball.

Rauf took things personally and decided to shine out during Pakistan’s match against New Zealand. He bowled with pace and precision to set up the Kiwi batsmen and then bowled them over with some slower balls.

Both bowlers are in top form at this T20 World Cup and will hold the key if Pakistan wins the toss and decides to bowl first again.

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#1. Pakistan’s batting line-up is finding form in the T20 World Cup 2021

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign kicked off on a high. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dominated India’s bowling to win the first match with 10 wickets in hand.

Things didn’t go as smoothly when the Green Shirts ran into New Zealand. Rizwan put on a decent defense but Pakistan lost too many wickets in the middle overs.

Thankfully, Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali stepped up to help Pakistan chase down the modest total posted by the Kiwis. Pakistan’s batting slump helped the lower-middle order show that they are very well capable of performing under pressure situations.

Tuesday's partial collapse could be seen as a blessing in disguise as a few under-pressure batsmen got a chance to hit form when it mattered the most. Afghanistan will have a few more batsmen to worry about on Friday evening other than Babar and Rizwan.