Pakistan the dark horses for the T20 World Cup in India?

[street cricketer]

Not sure how long we're going to pretend that Pakistan are not assembling a good team for the upcoming world T20 in India. Even the Pak posters seem to be underplaying it and not putting limelight on the fact that they now have a group of seasoned T20 cricketers who have gained experience playing in different T20 leagues around the world.

Their top order will likely be

Haider Ali
Rizwan
Babar
Hafeez

with Sharjeel as back up.

Rizwan seems to be in the form of his life with the bat and Haider seems to be one of the talented young bats going around in world cricket. Babar is one of the consistent T20 bats around the world but I feel Hafeez is going to be Pakistan's most dangerous weapon this time. He has taken his big hitting to the next level and I was reading the cricket monthly where he talked about how he started practising big hitting after playing the CPL and the influence of golf in his big hitting. He is going to be their best and most impactful player I think in the upcoming WT20.

In the middle order, they have Malik who is their most experienced T20 player, Faheem who like Rizwan seems to be in a purple patch at the moment. And they have Imad, Asif Ali as finishers.

In the spin department, they have Usama Qadir who is bowling very well these days and have Shadab and Nawaz who can both bat.

And their fast bowlers are likely to be

Shaheen
Hasan
Amir

with Rauf, Hasnain on the bench.

That's a very good bowling attack, must be one of the best going around in world cricket.

The punters probably have one of India, England or Australia as the favourites but I think Pakistan are going to be the dark horses this tournament. I believe they'll love the Indian wickets more than the UAE wickets (if they have to play on them in the tournament) which tend to be slower.

And one big factor if India and Pakistan face in the knockouts is going to be the fact that both don't face each other in the group stages for the first time in a world tournament in many years. So for a lot of the Indian cricketers, the Pak team is going to be an unknown commodity except a few players and so that can be an X factor. Another factor that I see affecting India is that probably for the first time, I can see India fielding an IPL XI this time whereas in the past, usually India used to field their best ODI players in T20 world cups taking the safer approach. So that means players like SKY, Kishan, Samson, Tewatia, Rahul Chahar, Sundar, Natarajan, etc. featuring in the squad who are all inexperienced in the international circuit. It can either go boom like in the 2007 WC or bust due to inexperience. So that may play a huge role if say India and Pakistan face off in the semifinal or final.

[gazza619]

Pakistan are not dark horses, they are actually joint favourites with India to win the tournament.

[Coolcapri]

I am still not convince that pak can be favorite, for pak to do well, Its batting needs to click.

[MHN1293]

We still need a proper spinner and qadir needs to play a few more matches to prove that. Main problems lies in our second opener partnering babar or rizwan. None of sharjeel, fakhar or haider have recent done well on that role.

[Shafi]

Under Misbah and Waqar we don’t have any chance. You need professional coaches with proper planning. Both Waqar and Misbah don’t have any clue about team planning and preparation.
I think Wasim K will be blamed for poor show and will be sacked first.

[Rana]

We have a famous finisher at 6

I think we are clear favourites

[street cricketer]

We have a famous finisher at 6

I think we are clear favourites

Iftikhar?

[Ami]

Nah...no chance!
We just dont have the side; if selectors are brave I would go with this side to causec a flutter or two.

Babar
Riz
???
Hafeez
Haider
Azam Khan
Imad
Faheem
Hasan
Usman/Shadab
Afridi

[WhenSultansBowled]

If you wanna call us that... so be it

Here's a magic crystal ball prediction:
India, Australia and England are the favorites to lift this cup.

Pakistan, NZ and SA will disappoint their fans.

Of course, I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong and may Pakistan win this one (Insha'Allah)!

We rely too much on Babar Azam and Shaheen. But good teams have more than 2 match winners in their ranks. I know Rizwan is in beast mode these days but our batting is very unreliable and our bowling is inexperienced and our spinners lack the intensity to win crunch games.

Let's see tho!

[stevewittry]

Nah...no chance!
We just dont have the side; if selectors are brave I would go with this side to causec a flutter or two.

Babar
Riz
???
Hafeez
Haider
Azam Khan
Imad
Faheem
Hasan
Usman/Shadab
Afridi

??? = Shoaib Malik

[PakPremi]

I can see shoaib malik making a comeback especially if he has a decent psl. Danish Aziz also needs to be given plenty of chances to see his capabilty. Zafar Gohar has been treated harsly, he is much better than Nawaz in bowling and batting.
Also,high time ro drop KIA model players(Khushdil, Iftikhar, Asif).

[PakPremi]

If you wanna call us that... so be it

Here's a magic crystal ball prediction:
India, Australia and England are the favorites to lift this cup.

Pakistan, NZ and SA will disappoint their fans.

Of course, I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong and may Pakistan win this one (Insha'Allah)!

We rely too much on Babar Azam and Shaheen. But good teams have more than 2 match winners in their ranks. I know Rizwan is in beast mode these days but our batting is very unreliable and our bowling is inexperienced and our spinners lack the intensity to win crunch games.

Let's see tho!

We have 4 currently if you include Rizwan and Hafeez.

[Nov15]

Unlike the longer formats, it’s tough to predict WT20 winner. Any of the top 6 teams can win it. No one expected Windies to win last time.

[WhenSultansBowled]

We have 4 currently if you include Rizwan and Hafeez.

I don't have much belief in Hafeez, especially if we arrive in semifinals or the final. Although expect him to score loads in non-clutch games.

[PakPremi]

Hafeez v3 maybe more reliable with new found cofidence and power.

[street cricketer]

I've been in this forum for some years now and so I know that the Pak contingent of the forum is generally optimistic about every tournament as they should being fans of the team, but I always took an objective view of things and never really thought Pak were in with a chance to win any of the world tournaments they participated since I joined the forum. Yes, even the CT that they won in 2017, if you had told me that Pakistan would be the winners before the tourney started, I would said that Pakistan should have played out of their skins to have won it which is what they actually did as they beat teams that were both the hot favourites to win the tournament in both the semifinals and the final.

In the past, either they used to have a good bowling attack but a one dimensional batting side with guys like Shehzad who used to put up sub par scores for the format or they had a decent enough batting side but their bowlers were bit overrated ones like Wahab. But for the first time I think in the past few years, even before the tournament starts, I wouldn't surprised one bit if Pakistan lifts the trophy in the final as they have an all round team that is solid in almost all departments. They have gun players in Rizwan, Hafeez and Babar while Shaheen and Amir are top quality LOI pacers.

They have a nice mix of youth and experienced players and not a too inexperienced team nor a team of dad army. The current team doesn't seem to have the "mercurial" tag of the past teams which is just a polite way of referring to ordinary teams that could beat the top sides on their day. They just seem to be genuinely one of the top quality sides in the T20 format and not just an average side that's capable of lifting its game from time to time.

[Omer2002]

No chance..too many good teams dark horses are windies!!! Actually thinking of it they might even win it

[MesonK]

Amir would never return to team.

Most likely it would be something like

Haider Ali/Rizwan
Fakhar
Babar
Hafeez
Haider Ali/Rizwan
Iftikhar/Malik
Shadab/Imad
Faheem
Usman
Hasan
Shaheen

[Hyperion66]

I honestly don't think they can outbat any of the top teams in a batting shootout but if they can utilize the novelty factors of their new found spinners I can see them upsetting Eng or Aus. However, I don't think they are favorites or anything.

[Heisenberg111]

Won't surprise me, if Pak wins the WT20.

[sa88]

Pakistan go into this tournament with a possibly red hot batting line up but for once our bowling is quite weak.
Imagine this top order;

1. Sharjeel- hitting well in PSL, can he overcome past issues to make it ?
2. Rizwan- in the form of his life
3. Fakhar- a one trick pony ? Found out? I think he can still play the odd
Short innings which can be devastating in T20.
4. Babur - the anchor / consolidator. Shows yesterday he can accelerate when needed
5. Haider - good player just needs a big international innings
6. Hafeez- Professor 3.0 is like a fine wine getting better with age. Red hot form and can be the finisher we need.

Where I really struggle is our bowling. Apart from Shaheen no one is a game changer. In 2009 in England we had Umar Gul who was unplayable and supported by Amir and Razzaq. Apart from Shaheen our current pace crop is poor or inconsistent. Guys like Faheem, Hasnain, and Naseem will not deliver crunch overs at the death. Just not good enough.

Also we had Afridi and Ajmal who were going less than run a ball. Current spinners don’t have that control. Qadir will take wickets but will go for lots of runs esp against India.

Any thoughts on how we can get our bowling to support our batsmen for once?

[Heisenberg111]

Pakistan go into this tournament with a possibly red hot batting line up but for once our bowling is quite weak.
Imagine this top order;

1. Sharjeel- hitting well in PSL, can he overcome past issues to make it ?
2. Rizwan- in the form of his life
3. Fakhar- a one trick pony ? Found out? I think he can still play the odd
Short innings which can be devastating in T20.
4. Babur - the anchor / consolidator. Shows yesterday he can accelerate when needed
5. Haider - good player just needs a big international innings
6. Hafeez- Professor 3.0 is like a fine wine getting better with age. Red hot form and can be the finisher we need.

Where I really struggle is our bowling. Apart from Shaheen no one is a game changer. In 2009 in England we had Umar Gul who was unplayable and supported by Amir and Razzaq. Apart from Shaheen our current pace crop is poor or inconsistent. Guys like Faheem, Hasnain, and Naseem will not deliver crunch overs at the death. Just not good enough.

Also we had Afridi and Ajmal who were going less than run a ball. Current spinners don’t have that control. Qadir will take wickets but will go for lots of runs esp against India.

Any thoughts on how we can get our bowling to support our batsmen for once?

Hassan Ali will have to step up.

[sa88]

Good about. Still seems like we’re asking an awful lot from Shaheen and Hasan. Especially considering Hasan can be a bit inconsistent.

[King_Kohli]

Pakistan is better T20 team than Aus and Nz.

[MHN1293]

Pakistan is better T20 team than Aus and Nz.

In the subcontinent, probably yes.

[Bilal7]

Not sure why people create threads without doing the requisite research and then end up looking ignorant. Even someone who has been out of the loop has caught up and knows that Haider is not going to be an opener and Amir’s international career is over.

Apart from that, OP is right about Pakistan being the dark horse for the next WT20. They have a good top order, some good pacers and an abundance of all-rounders. If some power hitters can reveal themselves and the spinners find form, they’ll have a very strong team indeed.

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I think there's a good case for it now, Pakistan's traditional weakness is not looking so bad with the emergence of Rizwan as a genuine international class batsman, and Haider Ali showing signs of fulfilling his promise. Even Sarfaraz is looking in great nick, I would genuinely consider playing him as a specialist batsman.

Bowling wise Hasan Ali is looking back to his best, and there's some good young pace bowlers emerging in Hasnain, Dhahana and Imran. The lack of a top class spinner is the biggest chink in the armour.

[sam_ahm]

Pakistan do have a good chance, quite simply because they are the only subcontinent team apart from India who are competitive. Bangladesh are a good ODI side but they struggle in T20s, while SLN are a not doing good these days. AFG are a decent unit but not good enough to win WCs.

If we look at the foreign teams, then only NZL will pose a big threat. They've got good power hitters, good players of spin in Kane and Ross, likes of Ferguson at the death, and they've got two very good spinners in Santner and Sodhi for T20 format.

England may struggle on slow wickets, same with Australia. WI are a hit and a miss team, a lot depends on what players they select for the tournament, but yes if they come with a full strength team then they may do some damage.

South Africa might do OK but a WC win still looks far fetched for a team in rebuilding stage.

At the moment, India clear favorites, followed by NZL, then Pakistan then England in my view.

But as rightly said, Pakistan will need 2 good spinners to win the WC, Usman, Imad, Shadab... They will have to step up.

[Audrey500]

Pakistan has as much of a chance winning as Sri Lanka. Pakistan bowls well but there is never enough on the board.

Pakistan should take a aggressive high risk high reward batting unit. Either post 200 or get bowled for 120.


Sharjeel
Babar
Fakhar
Hafeez
Haidar ali
Umar Akmal
Rizwan
Imad
Qadir
Amir
Afridi
Hasnain
Naseem
Rauf
Faheem
Shadab

It’s a high risk high reward approach. Essentially the hardest and biggest hitters coupled with the fastest and most explosive bowlers. With spinners as it’s india.

This side can win you games while losing you games. But such a approach is needed to cause a major upset

No point going to play a conventional conservative team.

Go big or go home.

[Mesozoic]

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the dark horses IMO.

The latter have some exciting stroke makers coming up in the batting department and have a capable spin attack in Hasaranga and Dananjaya. If their seamers step up, things could get very interesting.

I also expect Bangladesh to surprise a couple of teams in the tournament. But it's extremely hard to predict anything in this format. So, we're never sure enough.

[Mesozoic]

Pakistan is better T20 team than Aus and Nz.

No they aren't. Don't think even the Pak posters here reckon that...

[King_Kohli]

No they aren't. Don't think even the Pak posters here reckon that...

Aus are mediocre in T20s and Nz is HTB.
I think Pak is better team than Aus & Nzin the subcontinent.

[jnaveen1980]

Indian conditions will suit Pakistan players due to some surfaces offering turn. But if they play a crucial game on a batting paradise they will have their task cut out. They will definitely be a strong force. But i doubt they will win it. Couple of other teams are a shade better.

[Heisenberg111]

No they aren't. Don't think even the Pak posters here reckon that...

Aus and NZ won't win the WT20. Its gonna be between Pak, Ind, Eng and WI.

[mastimasti]

The T20 side is too weak at the moment regardless of how talented the individuals may be (sorry Pakistanis!).

Another problem is Pakistan has possibly the worst and most unprofessional selection process and back room staff in world cricket, so expect many of the best players not to be selected or to be injured.

When looking at consistent, professional sides such as India, England, Australia and New Zealand I can not imagine Pakistan winning.

[big_gamer007]

Kamran Akmal
Imam Ul Haq
Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Faheem Ashraf
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Amir
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi

I would rate them amongst the favourites.

[szrana007]

Kamran Akmal
Imam Ul Haq
Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Faheem Ashraf
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Amir
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi

I would rate them amongst the favourites.

Lol, you are not funny. No chance of Wahab, Amir, Umar and Kamran Akmal playing.

[naseem]

Play this line up...

Sharjeel
Rizwan
Babar
Hafeez
Haider
Sarfraz
Faheem
Imad
Hasan Ali
Qadir
Saheen

Reserve

Hasnain
Zahid
Nawaz
Ahmed Butt
Talat
Shoaib Maqsood
RAuf
Md Amir if he comes back from retirement or else....there are many options....

I think it will be a twenty man squad or even more given still covid scenario....so that's about it..

Sorry Ifti....Shadab r not in my squad

[naseem]

Kamran Akmal
Imam Ul Haq
Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Faheem Ashraf
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Amir
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi

I would rate them amongst the favourites.

Wahab one performance and favourite and u can't leave Haider Sharjeel for Imam Kamran......poor squad for t20......good for 50 50 may be...

[naseem]

Indian conditions will suit Pakistan players due to some surfaces offering turn. But if they play a crucial game on a batting paradise they will have their task cut out. They will definitely be a strong force. But i doubt they will win it. Couple of other teams are a shade better.

Bang on...... NZ Eng are way better .....in those kind of pitches....

[naseem]

It would be criminal to drop Sharjeel now

[szrana007]

Wahab one performance and favourite and u can't leave Haider Sharjeel for Imam Kamran......poor squad for t20......good for 50 50 may be...

Its a terrible squad for 50 overs as well, this poster is trying to be funny, when he really isn't.

[Mesozoic]

Aus are mediocre in T20s and Nz is HTB.
I think Pak is better team than Aus & Nzin the subcontinent.

Lolwut? A full strength Australia is arguably the second best T20I side in the world... next only to England. Just because they rest half their starting XI most of the times, doesn't mean they're mediocre. And even then, they won their last T20I series' in India, South Africa and almost beat England in England...

And there's no such thing as HTB in T20 cricket. Wickets are flat pretty much everywhere so a good T20 team will and should win regardless of the venue. And NZ are good enough to beat every non-Big3 side anywhere.

[CanadianG00se]

Pakistan are not dark horses, they are actually joint favourites with India to win the tournament.

India are not favourites. We will choke either in QF or Semis. As long as Kohli is our kaptaan, we will not win anything.

[naseem]

Man Saheen Hasan if they can continue this form till WT20.....IT would literally b deadly

[szrana007]

India are not favourites. We will choke either in QF or Semis. As long as Kohli is our kaptaan, we will not win anything.

There are no quarter finals in WT20.

[Suleiman]

Meh it’s anyone’s tour really. India doesn’t hand out dust bowls for t20s (rightfully so) they are usually fantastic batting strips. 2016 t20 WC and 2014 t20 WC were both in Asia and we couldn’t even reach the knockout stages for either one. Batting looked more or less the same as right now, 1-2 firing batsmen and the rest are there to make up the numbers. Don’t know how our bowling stacks up to those previous editions now.

[CanadianG00se]

There are no quarter finals in WT20.

Well then semi knockout it is, AGAIN. We are choking in all ICC events under Kaptaan Kohli

[Hasan123]

We won’t win the tournament imo.

[Minnowbasher]

Please
Every ICC tournament Pakistan is rated in we do awfully in. Let's just assume Pakistan will get knocked out in group stages and hope they surprise us and at least make it to the semis.

[hitthestump]

The OP is severely overestimating Pakistan. We have two cricketers who are above average - Babar and Hafeez. Shaheen might be worth a mention but other teams have bowlers like him too, and pace is not going to play a big part in this tournament.

Everyone else we play will be hit and miss. They might produce some good performances here and there but you're not going to see all of guys like Haider, Shadab, Faheem, Hasan, Fakhar and whoever else click at the same time.

On top of that our spin department is simply ok. It's nothing special, and spin is going to win you this tournament.

Overall Pakistan might do ok enough to not embarass themselves but any suggestions they'll win are way off the mark.

[Nado_]

Pakistan has as much of a chance winning as Sri Lanka. Pakistan bowls well but there is never enough on the board.

Pakistan should take a aggressive high risk high reward batting unit. Either post 200 or get bowled for 120.


Sharjeel
Babar
Fakhar
Hafeez
Haidar ali
Umar Akmal
Rizwan
Imad
Qadir
Amir
Afridi
Hasnain
Naseem
Rauf
Faheem
Shadab

It’s a high risk high reward approach. Essentially the hardest and biggest hitters coupled with the fastest and most explosive bowlers. With spinners as it’s india.

This side can win you games while losing you games. But such a approach is needed to cause a major upset

No point going to play a conventional conservative team.

Go big or go home.

Agree especially if we make knockouts, go for glory and go guns blazing by play both Fakhar and Sharjeel, if they click then expect competitive scores. Fakhar has proved he has the stomach for the big stage. My actual worry is the spin department, Qadir is still quite raw and Shadab is in real bad form. If only we had superstar spinner like Ajmal (very wishful thinking).

[Nado_]

Agree especially if we make knockouts, go for glory and go guns blazing by play both Fakhar and Sharjeel, if they click then expect competitive scores. Fakhar has proved he has the stomach for the big stage. My actual worry is the spin department, Qadir is still quite raw and Shadab is in real bad form. If only we had superstar spinner like Ajmal (very wishful thinking).

Don’t agree with the squad but concept of Fakhar and Sharjeel

[Markhor]

It's a very tough group we find ourselves in.

Our record against Australia in World Cups is poor, we were recently beaten in New Zealand in the T20 series and West Indies are the defending champions who also have a strong record vs Pakistan in World Cups. I think there'll be another team joining from the preliminary round.

Our lack of a world-class spinner is an issue, but the wider point is T20 cricket has become vastly more data driven and ultra-professional since the early days. Lack of planning, poor fielding and running between the wickets will be exposed big time.

[ahmadharis1]

Pakistan has no chance at all.

[Rana]

Pakistan has no chance at all.

That is the case every time before an ICC tournament

We have 3

NZ and SA have?

[Markhor]

Aus are mediocre in T20s and Nz is HTB.
I think Pak is better team than Aus & Nzin the subcontinent.

We lost to both in the 2016 T20 World Cup.

[SM1989]

Given we are playing in India and there is strong anti Pakistan public opinion under this Modi regime, I think for the safety of the players and management, Pakistan will not go beyond the group stage.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Spin bowling is an issue for Pakistan and for that reason I think it will be difficult for them.
Fast bowlers like Rauf and Hasnain will be carted around in T20 on those flat wickets by some monster batting line ups like India/Australia/England. Even NZ with Guptill in form can be very devastating.

Batting wise, Babar needs to up his strike rate and needs to be supported by a couple of others to post 170+ consistently.

[Ertugrul_Bey]

PSL is getting all the rest off of our star players. I believe by the end of the tournament, we will know who is going to the WC. The only hurdle will be selecting Amir, who will be the key in India. Amir has a habit of showing up on big games and big tournaments. He will be the key to our success along with Shaheen and Hasan Ali.

[nextover666666]

World t20 is in october or november if im not mistaken so a lot can happen from now until than

Rizwan is in fine form but it could be possible around that time his form isnt great (hopefully not the case) and their still alot of pieces they need to figure out ...who should be middle order...which spinners should we take...and more...

If pakistan does select the deserving 15 players to play in the tournament and the right players are playing than they can be a favorite but even than its still hard to say.

One thing is for sure is you cant count pakistan out

I do suspect pak to maybe lose their first match and start picking up momentum from their if they can manage to make the semi finals, than their a stronger chance they can win.

Like anything only time will tell

[Suleiman]

It's a very tough group we find ourselves in.

Our record against Australia in World Cups is poor, we were recently beaten in New Zealand in the T20 series and West Indies are the defending champions who also have a strong record vs Pakistan in World Cups. I think there'll be another team joining from the preliminary round.

Our lack of a world-class spinner is an issue, but the wider point is T20 cricket has become vastly more data driven and ultra-professional since the early days. Lack of planning, poor fielding and running between the wickets will be exposed big time.

I really do not understand why we keep losing to WI across world cups, be it OD or t20. It’s a bit embarrassing in ODs. This started from 2013 CT humiliation and after that all of our loses to them have been p humiliating. I still remember 2 very well. Whenever our score card read 1-4 in the 2015 WC after Dre Rus clobbered the bowling, and then Gul and Ajmal seeing their t20 greatness laid to waste in 2014 t20 WC.

[shariqnoor]

If Pakistan needs to win the world cup, they need to debut 2-3 players during the tournament, so that nobody has seen those guys and worked them out. They will bring their beginners luck and Pakistan might quietly work their way to the title.

[pillionrider]

Given we are playing in India and there is strong anti Pakistan public opinion under this Modi regime, I think for the safety of the players and management, Pakistan will not go beyond the group stage.

Of all the excuses possible, this must be most creative one

Pakistan will always have a team capable of winning a T20 WC, on paper at least. Not saying they will always have a team to be a favourite. I mean, they'll have a team that can have a run of wins that can get them the trophy.

But I'm not sure they have the players who can absorb the pressure of playing in front of large Indian crowds


The crowds might not necessarily always be hostile. It also depends on where they play. And who they play. In a Pak vs WI/AFG/NZ game, they'll probably face hostility. A game vs BD/Eng/Aus might actually see them get support

Malik, Hafeez, Amir seem like they can manage the pressure, but not sure if they have the skills anymore. Not too familiar with the newer players other than Babar, but Faheem seems potentially seems like he can. At least based off the little I've seen in tests.

[Shazzam]

Under Misbah’s coaching I only see a embarrassing outing from the tournament.

[Buffet]

Why only dark horses? Pakistan should have a decent chance if pitches taken even a little bit of turn. The only issue can be on total flat pitch and Pakistan lacks firepower in batting to score big.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

I really do not understand why we keep losing to WI across world cups, be it OD or t20. It’s a bit embarrassing in ODs. This started from 2013 CT humiliation and after that all of our loses to them have been p humiliating. I still remember 2 very well. Whenever our score card read 1-4 in the 2015 WC after Dre Rus clobbered the bowling, and then Gul and Ajmal seeing their t20 greatness laid to waste in 2014 t20 WC.

Yeah this is very surprising for me as well. For some reason WI bring their best on that day and Pakistan their worst. Been happening since past few encounters.

[mazkhan]

Well if misbah stuffs the playing xi with ifthikar , asif butler , khushdil and imad then expect a severe beating .

The most destructive t20 openers in pakistan are fakhar and sharjeel you have to open with them to give yourself a chance to post those 190 + scores i know they are not everyone's cup of tea but its the best we've got atm you have to follow other teams who use the same concept of destructive openers who go all guns blazing in first 6 powerplay overs .

[BreadPakoda]

Any team can win T20I WC. Even Sri Lanka. That’s the nature of the format. Pakistan has a good chance like many other teams.

[Justcrazy]

I think you need a better coach to play strategy and tactics, that can increase Pakistan chances in the tournament.

[Abdullah Rabbani]

Kamran Akmal
Imam Ul Haq
Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Faheem Ashraf
Imad Wasim
Mohammad Amir
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen Afridi

I would rate them amongst the favourites.

100% we lose tournament then

[Colorblind Genius]

In my opinion, every team has the about same kind of batsmen who can slog and score quick since the boundaries are short. Any batsman from any team can explode in this unforgiving format.

Every team’s top and middle order is about the same - you primarily need just one or two batsmen to click and you get 180 odd on the board. And this usually happens on regular basis.

The team with the best bowling attack, especially a good spinner who can take important wickets should make the difference.

Quick fielders who can make sharp runouts happen, could be the second factor.

Pakistan’s weakest link is not having two additional good bowlers (one fast and one spin) and relatively weak fielding.
Does that make us the dark horse?
Probably not.
We don’t seem to be the best or the worst team in the tournament. We stand somewhere in the middle, and hence not a dark horse.

[SM1989]

Of all the excuses possible, this must be most creative one

Pakistan will always have a team capable of winning a T20 WC, on paper at least. Not saying they will always have a team to be a favourite. I mean, they'll have a team that can have a run of wins that can get them the trophy.

But I'm not sure they have the players who can absorb the pressure of playing in front of large Indian crowds


The crowds might not necessarily always be hostile. It also depends on where they play. And who they play. In a Pak vs WI/AFG/NZ game, they'll probably face hostility. A game vs BD/Eng/Aus might actually see them get support

Malik, Hafeez, Amir seem like they can manage the pressure, but not sure if they have the skills anymore. Not too familiar with the newer players other than Babar, but Faheem seems potentially seems like he can. At least based off the little I've seen in tests.

My point is more around the fact that there may be riots if Pakistan get to the final and win. The players safety will be under threat. So to avoid that management might just ask them to not try too hard.

[Mesozoic]

My point is more around the fact that there may be riots if Pakistan get to the final and win. The players safety will be under threat. So to avoid that management might just ask them to not try too hard.

Why even bother coming then?

[RyanRyan10]

My point is more around the fact that there may be riots if Pakistan get to the final and win. The players safety will be under threat. So to avoid that management might just ask them to not try too hard.

There's also a chance that some of them might give up on their Pakistan citizenship and decide to settle in India like Adnan Sami so that they can get to play in the IPL.

[Rajdeep]

India has never won a T20 world cup since the inception of IPL 13 years ago.

PSL was launched just 6 years ago. If Pak wins the T20 WC so soon and that too at the home of IPL, it will be a matter of great shame for IPL fans.

Also, it will prove PSL > IPL

[szrana007]

It's a very tough group we find ourselves in.

Our record against Australia in World Cups is poor,
we were recently beaten in New Zealand in the T20 series and West Indies are the defending champions who also have a strong record vs Pakistan in World Cups. I think there'll be another team joining from the preliminary round.

Our lack of a world-class spinner is an issue, but the wider point is T20 cricket has become vastly more data driven and ultra-professional since the early days. Lack of planning, poor fielding and running between the wickets will be exposed big time.

Pakistan's leads 3-2 against Australia in WT20 matches. Same with New Zealand, Pak leads 3-2 against NZL in H2H in WT20 matches.

[Shazzam]

My point is more around the fact that there may be riots if Pakistan get to the final and win. The players safety will be under threat. So to avoid that management might just ask them to not try too hard.

If I was a coach of Pakistan I’d tell my players to lose to India on purpose to make the Indian public happy. Afterwards go on to win the tournament.

[Flat_Track_Bully]

If and this is a big if, Qadir delivers those middle over squeezes we are in with a chance.

[Indiafan]

My point is more around the fact that there may be riots if Pakistan get to the final and win. The players safety will be under threat. So to avoid that management might just ask them to not try too hard.

The excuses seem to be already ready, I see