Pakistan will take on England in a four-match T20I series starting on May 22 in Leeds. This series will be crucial for both teams as it will be their last appearance before the T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan recently played two T20I series, one against inexperienced New Zealand at home and the other against Ireland in Dublin. This is Babar Azam’s first test after being appointed captain of the white ball.
The green shirts drew the T20I series with New Zealand 2-2 at home as one match was canceled due to rain. Meanwhile, they managed to beat Ireland 2-1. However, despite winning the tournament, problems have become clear for the Men in Green, who have to deal with them before the World Cup begins.
In the last seven T20Is, Babar’s side has won four and lost three. It may sound like a good stat, but it’s not like his opponent is not on par.
As the T20I against England approaches, we take a look at three key things Pakistan need to pay attention to ahead of the World Cup, as they struggle the most in this area.
Babar Azam along with Saim Ayub opened the innings for Pakistan in the short format. The left-handed and two-battery combination looked good on paper, but didn’t translate on the field. Saim has scored 284 runs in 18 innings since his debut without scoring a half century.
In most of the matches, the left-hander took the wicket without contributing much trouble to Pakistan. With the World Cup around the corner, the England series will be Saim’s last chance to prove himself, or we could see another opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwa.
He had an unstoppable middle record over the years as he struggled to score big, be it in ODIs or T20Is in Pakistan. However, with the presence of Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Irfan Khan and others, the Green Shirt have players they can rely on this time.
However, there are some question marks about which player will play more or which player will be used in a given situation. According to reports, Usman Khan may play against England, with Azam Khan on the bench, as Pakistan will not play with three wicketkeepers.
The Men in Green must sort out their middle order or face World Cup problems with so many players in the lineup.
Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi are the long list of pacers who will be in Pakistan’s series against England, and it seems difficult to name which one will be in the final squad for the World Cup. . they are
Not only this, there are spinners like Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed and even Saim Ayub.
With so many players capable of contributing the ball, Pakistan will have to find the right balance between pace and spin as the England series will be the last chance to test their batting combination before the World Cup.
Pakistan, England set to clash in T20I series opener
