3 reasons why Pakistan can have their worst T20 World Cup performance in 2024

In what came as a shock to Pakistan, the former T20 world champions were defeated by Ireland in the opening T20I of the three-match series. This was the first time these two teams squared off against each other in this format after 15 years.

It is the first time that the Men in Green are visiting Ireland for a bilateral series. Coming up against a resurgent Ireland side at home is not an easy proposition, but for a team of Pakistan's class, they would have hoped to perform much better.

On the back of an impressive half-century from skipper Babar Azam and a late-order flourish from Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan posted a competitive score of 182. However, it didn't prove to be enough in the end.

Andy Balbirnie played a captain's knock but couldn't quite take his side over the finish line. The pair of Curtis Campher and Gareth Delany provided the finishing touches. The bowling department looked a bit clueless when the Irish batters decided to take the attack to them and eventually lost the game in the final over.

With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, it wasn't the ideal start to Pakistan's preparations for the mega event. The loss will put a lot of question marks on how they need to turn things around before the start of the showpiece event.

Having said that, let us have a look at three reasons why Pakistan can have their worst T20 World Cup performance in 2024.

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#1 Pakistan are not willing to adapt to the modern T20 style of play

In the ongoing edition of the IPL, we have witnessed how fearless the batters have been at any stage of the innings. The role of an anchor in a T20 game has gone out of fashion and you need to regularly score at a strike rate of 150 and above to make an impact for your team.

The likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been prolific run scorers for Pakistan but the strike rate has always been an issue. They haven't adopted the fearless attitude, which is a must for any T20 side currently.

The opening duo needs to make full use of the powerplay and even if they lose a few wickets, they have to keep coming at the opposition bowlers and take on the charge. If they don't change their template going into the T20 World Cup, this could well turn out to be one of their worst performances in the competition.

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#2 The bowling department has been found wanting on several occasions

The bowling unit as a whole has struggled to deliver in crunch situations. Pakistan is known to be a country that has produced several top-class fast bowlers. In Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, they have two of the finest new ball bowlers in the world.

Despite all their skills and ability to bowl wicket-taking deliveries quite consistently, Shaheen and Naseem haven't been able to pack in hunts which is very important for a new ball pair. Shaheen and Naseem bagged a wicket each but didn't look too threatening.

Shadab Khan was taken to the cleaners by the Irish batters as he ended up conceding 54 runs in his four overs. Spin is expected to play a massive part in the Caribbean so the form of the spinners will be a major concern for Pakistan. If the bowling department doesn't manage to gel together as a unit, it could well turn out to be the worst T20 World Cup for Pakistan.

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#3 Lack of a consistent power-hitter

Pakistan is not one of the top teams in this format of the game. While they can still produce some top-class performances and lift the T20 World Cup, they won't be one of those teams the opposition will fear.

Pakistan need to give regular chances to the likes of Fakhar Zaman who remains one of the most brutal bashers in the game. He hasn't been in the best of touches but it was a similar case in the lead-up to the fifty-over World Cup. He did play the opening match but needs to be given a longer rope.

Fakhar was dropped after the first game which was decisive in the context of the tournament. Pakistan now have the likes of Azam Khan who hits the long ball but the consistency factor has been missing in the international circuit.

Iftikhar Ahmed can also tonk some big blows but the lack of a genuine range-hitting batter will surely put them on the back foot going into the showpiece event. Pakistan will face Ireland in the second T20I on May 12.