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[EXCLUSIVE] "I think bowling-wise we are very good... but the team balance is a concern": Sohail Tanvir

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In this exclusive PakPassion interview, former Pakistan T20 World Cup winner Sohail Tanvir provides a detailed breakdown of Pakistan's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. With vast experience playing in leagues worldwide, Tanvir analyzes the team's strengths, the conditions in Sri Lanka, and the tough selection calls made by the selectors.

Key revelations include:

•⁠ ⁠On Pakistan's Bowling: "I think bowling-wise we are very good... but the balance is a concern." - With the tournament being held in the subcontinent, Tanvir praises the selection of a spin-heavy attack, highlighting Mohammad Nawaz's exceptional form over the last six months.

He expresses high confidence in Salman Irshad, describing him as a much-improved bowler who is effective with both the new ball and at the death

•⁠ ⁠The X-Factor Question: "Who's going to hit 50 runs off 20 balls for Pakistan?" - He highlighted the key concern in the batting lineup. Tanvir believes unorthodox spinner Usman Tariq will be a key player for Pakistan. He notes that while players may have seen him on TV, facing his unique style in person is a different challenge.

•⁠ ⁠On Babar Azam's Role: "Babar can play his anchor game... score 50 off 35 balls." - Discussing Babar Azam’s recent struggles in the Big Bash League, Tanvir argues that while Babar lacks the raw power for fast Australian tracks, his "anchor" style is perfectly suited for the slower, lower-bouncing pitches in Sri Lankalaining how conditions suit the batter’s style.

•⁠ ⁠On Haris Rauf's Omission:
"Not having Haris Rauf in Sri Lanka makes sense to me." - He supports the decision to omit Haris Rauf for this specific tournament, explaining that raw pace can often become an advantage for batters on slow pitches, making Rauf more vulnerable than in Australia.

•⁠ ⁠Praise for Naseem Shah:
"Naseem Shah has grown up mentally. You can see the maturity." - With Rauf absent, Tanvir notes a potential concern regarding who will take over the death-over responsibilities, though he hopes Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah can adapt.

•⁠ ⁠The Final Verdict: "We are unpredictable in both ways. We can do so well and we can do so bad." - Tanvir identifies India, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand as the strongest candidates to win the trophy.

Despite not being labeled as favorites by many, he warns that Pakistan’s inherent unpredictability means they can beat any team on their day and should never be ruled out.

Watch full interview with Saj here:

 
Bowling was always Pakistan's biggest strength.

I think Pakistan's T20 batting is much better now.
 
Out fast bowling the past few years has been very over rated. Shaheen has been intermittently poor and inconsistent. Rauf can be a total spray gun. Naseem isn't the greatest T20 bowler. Mirza is decent but not world class.
 
Another former player still thinking an anchor is required when you have only 120 deliveries to bat.

Pakistan needs to play on absolute belters for a few seasons for this mindset to go away. The England bazball revolution was built on absolute flat tracks after they removed serviceable batters like Cook and replaced them with Roy & gave them the conditions to thrive.

Two seasons of 400 vs. 400 and our batters will be ready for modern cricket. We do have the batters who can do that but at the moment the pitches just do not allow for such free minded cricket.
 
Pakistan needs to play on absolute belters for a few seasons for this mindset to go away. The England bazball revolution was built on absolute flat tracks after they removed serviceable batters like Cook and replaced them with Roy & gave them the conditions to thrive.

Two seasons of 400 vs. 400 and our batters will be ready for modern cricket. We do have the batters who can do that but at the moment the pitches just do not allow for such free minded cricket.
OK but no pitches in the world tell you to tuk tuk and stop scoring overall. These so called experts will keep finding excuses to have Babar in the team.
 
OK but no pitches in the world tell you to tuk tuk and stop scoring overall. These so called experts will keep finding excuses to have Babar in the team.

Babar probably still has some people in the PR business. His on field performance is not worth anything (atm). Maybe he can bounce back but it looks less and less likely.
 
Babar probably still has some people in the PR business. His on field performance is not worth anything (atm). Maybe he can bounce back but it looks less and less likely.
Dont think so he (Babar) can bounce back, I mean he is been pathetic for like a good 2 to 3 years now. Forget his T20s failures. any good bat gets judged on his performances in red ball cricket and it is in TEST cricket that Babar really has 0 performances. I mean he never played a match winning 100 I think vs SENA. That is how bad he is.
 
Batting has always been a concern for us... I think Fakhar in place of Babar can sort things a bit
 
This is the first tournament where are playing our best team rather than our best xi
Other than maybe babar and salman who had a good pre tournament
It’s why the likes of Rauf and ali Raza aren’t playing and also fakhar and rizwan aren’t in the playing xi either for the same reason

The balance with 4 all rounders works on certain days like the match against Netherlands but tavir is right maybe where one of our specialist batsmen like khawaja or fakhar could replace an ashraf in a more important game
 
Batting has always been a concern for us... I think Fakhar in place of Babar can sort things a bit
I think fakhar is done and dusted in T20s... he is totally off color and his recent form is even worse than usman khan... Nay.. we cannot put him in...

Bowling must have Salman Mirza instead of Shaheen tbh/
 
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