Strengths and weaknesses of the Pakistan team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024

The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be starting later this week. The highly-anticipated event is scheduled to get underway on June 1 while the final is scheduled to take place on June 29.

A total of 20 teams will be fighting it out for the trophy in the tournament that will be co-hosted by Pakistan and West Indies. One of the strongest contenders for the title are Pakistan. The Men in Green have a formidable squad and can go all the way this year.

They did well in the last two editions and will be backing themselves to go the distance in the forthcoming edition. In 2021, Pakistan qualified for the semifinal before finishing runners-up in the previous edition. For the upcoming edition, they are in Group A along with arch-rivals India, USA, Canada and Ireland.

The Babar Azam-led side will be opening its campaign on June 6 against co-hosts USA. Before they play their first game, we are taking a look at the Pakistan squad’s strength, weakness, opportunities and threat.

Pakistan squad SWOT analysis:

Strength:

Top-order:

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are two of the most reliable batters in the world at the moment. In a format where players usually struggle to maintain consistency, Babar and Rizwan have turned out to be exceptions. Babar recently moved past his India counterpart Rohit Sharma to become the second highest run-scorer in T20Is and will be looking to lead his team from the front.

Rizwan, on the other hand, has been Pakistan’s go-to man in the big games and the team will be hoping that the wicketkeeper-batsman lived up to the reputation.

Fast-bowling department:

Pakistan have one of the strongest if not the strongest fast-bowling departments for T20 World Cup 2024. The return of Mohammad Amir has only bolstered the squad that already had the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf as well as Abbas Afridi.

The likes of Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir can very much decide the fate of the game in the powerplay itself. Known for their swing with the new ball, they have the ability to blow away any opposition on their day. The likes of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf can trouble the batters with their pace and bounce while Abbas Afridi has the ability to provide crucial breakthroughs at any stage of the game.

Weakness:

Middle-order:

Pakistan’s middle-order has been a big concern for them quite some time now and it could cost them big in the ICC T20 World Cup as well. While they have a strong top-order, the same cannot be said about the middle-order. The middle and lower-order usually decide the fate of a T20 game and Pakistan will be desperately hoping that their middle-order fire in the upcoming competition.

Fakhar Zaman has the ability to take any opposition to the cleaners but the southpaw’s consistency is a big worry. The likes of Usman Khan and Azam Khan do not have ample experience in international cricket while Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed are experienced but they lack consistency as well. 

Spin department:

Gone are those days when spin used to be one of Pakistan’s main strength. It has now become a big headache for them. Their spin spearhead Shadab Khan has been struggling for quite some time now and it would not be very surprising if he is taken to the cleaners in the upcoming tournament.

Imad Wasim’s return will bolster the team but the veteran allrounder’s lack of game time in international cricket could hamper his chances of doing well. The death bowling is a concern as well, as the likes of Afridi, Rauf and Naseem have struggled to do well in the death overs.

Opportunity:

Historic double:

Pakistan will have the opportunity to become the first Asian country to win the T20 World Cup twice and only the second team after West Indies to do it. They won the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2009 and are yet to go all the way in the competition since then. In the last edition, the team finished runners-up and will be fancying its chances of going all the way this time.

Pakistani duo eye redemption:

The tournament will be an opportunity for Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir to redeem themselves. Both the players had sensationally retired from international cricket before making reversing their decisions for the T20 World Cup. All eyes will be on them and they will be desperate to do well.

Threat:

Fielding:

Fielding has been a major worry for Pakistan for years now. Every now and then, Pakistan pay a hefty price for their poor fielding especially in pressure games. In a format where even a single run can decide the fate of the game, Pakistan will have to improve by leaps and bounds to do well.

Losing against lower-ranked teams:

There is no denying that Pakistan are one of the most unpredictable teams in world cricket and it can be a double-edged sword. On one day, they can just blow away the best of teams and on the very next day, they get defeated by a far lower-ranked team. Even in the last edition when they finished runners-up, they had suffered a shock loss against Zimbabwe. Babar Azam & Co. will be looking to avoid such upsets this year.

Pakistan squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2024:

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

For more such information and cricket news on the ICC T20 World Cup, visit CricketAddictor.