Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan Team Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths and Weaknesses Of Pakistan Team: The Asia Cup 2022 is just around the corner and the preparations are on. The teams have reached the UAE where the tournament is set to take place. 

In this article, we will discuss how Team Pakistan is likely to perform, analyze its strengths and weakness, and their possibility to win the cup

We have not seen Pakistan playing too much T20 cricket like the rest of the world but their rankings and impact in the format is massive. Being termed as one of the biggest contenders to even win the World Cup to be held in Australia later in the year, Pakistan is on the top list of teams to watch out for in the Asia Cup.

Since the 2021 World Cup, Pakistan has only played 2 bilateral series that too against smaller teams like Bangladesh and West Indies. In both the series they clean swept the opponents. In one odd match they played against Australia, they lost it. Their form guide through before the tournament shows WWW and that is what they would like to continue.

If we look at Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup 2022, the only name they will miss is Shaheen Afridi who is absent due to injury. Otherwise, the squad looks balanced with batters like Babar Azam and M Rizwan at the top, Asif Ali and Haider Ali forming the middle order with allrounders like Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz to amp up the lower order. Even after Afridi is not in place, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, and Mohammad Hasnain have shown their talent and form a well-balanced bowling department.

Pakistan has not just played lesser T20I matches, but it looks like their team hasn’t been exposed to much of T20 cricket altogether. With the players missing major tournaments like IPL, where most of the shorter format talent is explored, their player selection could be a hit or a miss in such a major tournament with big potential teams as opponents.

Though Babar Azam will be a confident man who is in the best form of his life scoring back-to-back runs and winning major series. His partnerships with Rizwan early on in the games will play a crucial part in deciding how the match ahead goes. He would expect the younger players Haider and Asif Ali to follow their path and add it as a better experience.

With Pakistan’s pace attack, you never know what is coming up next so if you see a figure like 5 gone for 50 even against the big teams, you should not be surprised because this pace attack is as lethal as it gets. 

Strengths and Weaknesses Of Pakistan Team

Strengths:

1. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are top-seeded batters in T20I and are playing at the top of their form.
2. An enviable pace attack that is amongst the best in Asia.
3. A much-unexplored side that can cause dents in unexpected ways that you might not be ready for.

Weaknesses:

1. The absence of Shaheen Afridi early on with the new ball will be a huge disappointment for the team.
2. A relatively less experienced squad.
3. Too much pressure on the top order to sustain innings.

Matchup Reviews: Predicted Wins and Losses for Asia Cup 2022

Pakistan is one of the top contenders to win the Asia Cup 2022. Their first match against India also looks like the Finals rehearsal and will be the most sought-after game of the tournament. The squad is a great mix of young and experienced and what they do on the field will be exciting to watch. There is so much to anticipate about their performance but we must be assured that they are amongst the best teams and the opponents should be wary of them.