Babar Azam-led Pakistan team is in great form so far in ICC Men’s t20 world cup. On Tuesday, they registered their fourth consecutive win against Namibia, confirming a semi-final berth in the showpiece event.
With this win, Pakistan have extended their winning streak in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to 15 matches and are the favorites to finish the Super 12 rounds as Group 2 leaders.
On Tuesday, speaking about Pakistan’s clinical run in the World Cup, cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said that even Pakistan fans should be surprised by their team’s performance in the marquee ICC event.
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The former cricketer also admitted that he was clinical against India in the first match of his tournament. However, there have been some ‘nervous chases’ for him as well.
“Pakistan is in a golden period. Who would have thought so? His fans would be somewhat surprised to see his team being so consistent. Although not against India, but there have been some nervous chases. They are clearly the favorites against Namibia,” Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar was also impressed with the ‘street smart’ skills of Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim in the event, saying that both of them know exactly where to place the ball to avoid being smashed all over the park.
He said, ‘Pakistan’s bowling is also looking great. Their spinners in the form of Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan are capable spinners. And that is Pakistan, they are not very skilled or have classical action, but they are very street-smart bowlers. They know where to put the ball and not hit. They know how to survive in this kind of format,” said the former cricketer.
“Shaheen Afridi is right there. He is currently the best fast bowler of the tournament. Hasan Ali can be a matter of concern for Pakistan. Not just because he has gone to score runs and hasn’t made the desired impact, but when he gets hit he gets bogged down,” he said.
He also highlighted the problem in Pakistan’s bowling, claiming that their seamer Hasan Ali often gets upset after being hit for a few runs. The Indian also said that Pakistan seamer Shaheen Afridi has been the best fast bowler in the event.
“He is [Hasan Ali[ a bit like when we had someone like Mohammad Sami from Pakistan, in the late 90s and early 2000s ..Bowls fast and hits the deck. And these are the kind of bowlers who cannot afford to get off the line. Because the moment they go slightly offline, they go for runs. So maybe Hasan Ali can do that and just attack the stumps. He shouldn’t look to vary too much and hit the deck, keep it straight and he’ll be fine,” Manjrekar concluded
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