Pakistan have been the most consistent team in the history of the T20 World Cup. They have made it to the knockout stage most of the time. The Men in Green won the title in 2009 and finished as runner-up twice, in 2007 and 2022. Now they will be playing in the T20 World Cup 2024 under Babar Azam. This will be the third edition for Babar as a captain. They fell short last time and lost the final against England.
But they will be looking to complete the unfinished business and end their trophy drought. Pakistan are placed in Group A with India, the USA, Canada, and Ireland. They will play their opening match on June 6 against the USA in Dallas. The much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan will take place on June 9. Some big names have returned for the event, and Pakistan are looking pretty good. So let’s do the SWOT analysis of Pakistan for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi
Pakistan’s Strength for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024
1. Lethal Pace Unit
Pakistan have always produced some of the greatest fast bowlers in history, and that has always been their strength heading into a big tournament. So that will not be new, as Pakistan currently have one of the best pace attacks in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Mohammed Amir’s return has certainly boosted the strength of the bowling attack. He will give another left-arm option to the team. Shaheen Afridi is one of the best in the business. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf are proven players, and Abbas Afridi has also shown great consistency. So Pakistan have a great variety in their pace attack, and they will be their biggest strengths.
2. Unpredictability Factor
Rarely will you see everyone terming Pakistan as their top favorite side to win a big tournament, but despite that, they do pretty well. That was similar in the last edition, and many termed them a poor team when they lost to India and Zimbabwe in the group stage. But they went on to play in the final. That unpredictability is the biggest factor in Pakistan’s ability to do wonders on their day. You can’t write them off because they have the knack of coming from behind and do well. And they have the players to turn things around.
Pakistan’s Weaknesses for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024
1. Out-dated Approach
In modern-day T20 cricket, a score of 200 is a normal thing. Teams back themselves to score 200 or more in both innings. But it will be a surprise to many when we tell you that Pakistan scored 200 or more last time in September 2022, which is almost two years ago. That might be a big difference when they face the opponents who are consistent in scoring big scores. Many times, the Pakistan captain has been heard saying that they look for a score of 180–185 while batting first, but that looks like an out-dated approach. So to be fair, the pitches in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 are high-scoring, but when they are chasing 200+ or on good surfaces, they can’t survive with this mindset.
2. Low Striker Rate of Top two
Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan are the pillars of the Pakistani team, and they are the highest ranked Pakistani batters in T20I rankings. These two scored more than 50–60 percent of the team’s run in this format. But the biggest worry can be their strike rate. Both batters have a career strike rate below 130, which is below-average, and their slow approach has sometimes backfired. So that is one area that needs to be addressed.
Threat for Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024
The biggest threat for them heading into the mega event is their middle order. Pakistan are still searching for a settled batting order. Starting from the top, they have tried Babar, Rizwan, and Saim Ayub. Then, in the middle order, they have tried with Shadab Khan a lot, and sometimes Shaheen has been seen batting up the order. If a batter doesn’t know about his role, it becomes tough for him to perform. Adding to that, their unpredictability also has a negative impact. They can beat any team, but it is also true that they can lose to any side. So they need to maintain their form while playing against the minnows.
Opportunities Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024
The upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is a great opportunity for players like Mohammed Amir and Imad Wasim, who are making a comeback into the team for this tournament. They came out of their retirement for this event, and if Pakistan can do well here, they can continue playing for a few more years.
Strongest Playing XI for Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 (Predicted)
Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir