So what starting XI should Pakistan go for in the Champions Trophy 2013? Their are many problems, especially in the batting department.

First problem is, who'll bat at #3? Both - Asad Shafiq and Kamran Akmal are having/have had success at #3. Mohammad Hafeez struggles against the new ball, so having him at #3 would be a good option as well. He could bat at #4, but he prefers opening and if he HAS to bat anywhere else in the batting order other than opening, he prefers #3. Now all three of Shafiq, Hafeez, and Kamran can't bat at #3. So that's a problem the captain will need to address.

Another problem is the two spots in the batting order. Basically, Misbah, Asad, Malik, Kamran, and Hafeez are going to play all the games. That leaves two spots available for batsmen. That means two out of the trio of Umar Amin, Nasir Jamshed, and Imran Farhat will be played. Now if Nasir and Farhat open the innings, then where will Hafeez bat. If Hafeez bats at #3, where will Kamran bat?

Then there's a problem of the #7 batsman. Who'll bat at #7? Kamran Akmal can't buy a run at #7 nowadays, Amin is inexperienced at international level, and Shoaib Malik is a 'senior', so it doesn't seem he'll bat there.

Lastly, there's the (minor) problem of the fourth genuine bowler. Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, and Junaid Khan are more than likely going to feature in the starting XI. But who'll be the last genuine bowler? Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil, Wahab Riaz, or Abdur Rehman? Realistically speaking, Malik's spot in the XI is confirmed too, so he can play the 6th bowler's role.

Discuss!