- Joined
- Mar 19, 2015
- Runs
- 15,745
2022 is just around the corner, and when you take a look at the series and tournaments coming up, it looks set to be a massive year for Pakistan cricket.
A reminder of the series and tournaments ahead:
Jan-Feb - PSL7
Mar-Apr - Australia tour of Pakistan (3 Tests, 3 ODI's, 1 T20I)
June - West Indies tour of Pakistan continued (3 ODI's)
Jul-Aug - Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka (2 Tests, 3 ODI's)
Sep - Asia Cup in Sri Lanka (ODI)
Sep-Oct - England tour of Pakistan (7 T20I's)
Oct-Nov - T20 World Cup in Australia
Nov-Dec - England tour of Pakistan (3 Tests)
Dec-Jan - New Zealand tour of Pakistan (2 Tests, 3 ODI's)
TBD - Pakistan tour of Afghanistan (3 ODI's)
Here are a few of my observations and predictions for the coming year:
- A lot more ODI cricket for Pakistan this year, especially in the lead up to the Asia Cup. By the time the Australia tour rolls around, Pakistan will not have played an ODI in 8 months or so. That makes it quite hard to predict our results in this format, but much will depend on the performances of the main stars from our T20I side - Babar, Shaheen and especially Rizwan, who has not been able to find any form in ODI's. A lot of the upcoming white-ball stars will get a lot more balls to bat/bowl, the likes of Haider Ali and Shahnawaz Dahani. I personally expect Haider to bat at #4, with Rizwan moving up to open with Fakhar. I'm not sure where Abdullah Shafique can slot in, but I hope he gets a run too.
- Regarding the Asia Cup, India are probably favourites to win, but if Pakistan's superstars click they can be unstoppable, so I wouldn't be able to call a winner between them. Neither side will get upset by another team though, and will definitely meet in the final. Sri Lanka is certainly a white-ball team to watch out for, in that tournament and in Pakistan's tour of SL.
- I do think that England and NZ will fulfill their tour promises for 2022/23. It would be farcical for either of them to pull out twice in a row, after specifically reaffirming their intentions to tour (and adding extra matches in England's case). Never say never though. However, Australia is a different story. I am quite skeptical that they'll tour, and certainly will not send their elite players.
- T20I's are Pakistan's strongest format at the moment, and after a record-breaking year I expect them to continue that form into the new year. The kind of form that Babar and especially Rizwan showed in 2021 is unsustainable in my opinion, so I'd expect more meaningful contributions with the bat from the likes of Fakhar and Haider. Pakistan should dominate against England at home, and at least make the final 4 at the WC in Australia. However, I'm not confident of them going any further considering they are not as comfortable in those conditions.
- Our home WTC series this year are huge opportunities to take big strides towards reaching the final. Especially in favoured conditions, we should aim for series wins against England and NZ, considering their lack of spin-adept players. If the Australia tour were to go ahead, I am slightly less confident as I feel the likes of Smith, Labuschagne and Lyon (if they come) could fare well in those conditions, but we should still aim for victory.
- This will be a huge year for Babar Azam, especially in these home Tests. Rizwan and Shaheen have mainly taken the limelight in the past year for T20I heroics, but this upcoming year presents Babar with a massive opportunity. In the captaincy and especially with the bat, Babar is under pressure to score big runs and lead this team to some memorable victories as Pakistan prepare to host the big teams in red-ball cricket again. If he can post some big totals in favoured conditions, it would do a world of good for Pakistan's chances in these series and kickstart his Test career, which has lagged behind his white-ball performances. I really hope he steps up this year and properly realises his huge potential as he enters his prime.
Do you agree or disagree with my expectations for Pakistan cricket in 2022? What predictions do you have? Discuss below.
A reminder of the series and tournaments ahead:
Jan-Feb - PSL7
Mar-Apr - Australia tour of Pakistan (3 Tests, 3 ODI's, 1 T20I)
June - West Indies tour of Pakistan continued (3 ODI's)
Jul-Aug - Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka (2 Tests, 3 ODI's)
Sep - Asia Cup in Sri Lanka (ODI)
Sep-Oct - England tour of Pakistan (7 T20I's)
Oct-Nov - T20 World Cup in Australia
Nov-Dec - England tour of Pakistan (3 Tests)
Dec-Jan - New Zealand tour of Pakistan (2 Tests, 3 ODI's)
TBD - Pakistan tour of Afghanistan (3 ODI's)
Here are a few of my observations and predictions for the coming year:
- A lot more ODI cricket for Pakistan this year, especially in the lead up to the Asia Cup. By the time the Australia tour rolls around, Pakistan will not have played an ODI in 8 months or so. That makes it quite hard to predict our results in this format, but much will depend on the performances of the main stars from our T20I side - Babar, Shaheen and especially Rizwan, who has not been able to find any form in ODI's. A lot of the upcoming white-ball stars will get a lot more balls to bat/bowl, the likes of Haider Ali and Shahnawaz Dahani. I personally expect Haider to bat at #4, with Rizwan moving up to open with Fakhar. I'm not sure where Abdullah Shafique can slot in, but I hope he gets a run too.
- Regarding the Asia Cup, India are probably favourites to win, but if Pakistan's superstars click they can be unstoppable, so I wouldn't be able to call a winner between them. Neither side will get upset by another team though, and will definitely meet in the final. Sri Lanka is certainly a white-ball team to watch out for, in that tournament and in Pakistan's tour of SL.
- I do think that England and NZ will fulfill their tour promises for 2022/23. It would be farcical for either of them to pull out twice in a row, after specifically reaffirming their intentions to tour (and adding extra matches in England's case). Never say never though. However, Australia is a different story. I am quite skeptical that they'll tour, and certainly will not send their elite players.
- T20I's are Pakistan's strongest format at the moment, and after a record-breaking year I expect them to continue that form into the new year. The kind of form that Babar and especially Rizwan showed in 2021 is unsustainable in my opinion, so I'd expect more meaningful contributions with the bat from the likes of Fakhar and Haider. Pakistan should dominate against England at home, and at least make the final 4 at the WC in Australia. However, I'm not confident of them going any further considering they are not as comfortable in those conditions.
- Our home WTC series this year are huge opportunities to take big strides towards reaching the final. Especially in favoured conditions, we should aim for series wins against England and NZ, considering their lack of spin-adept players. If the Australia tour were to go ahead, I am slightly less confident as I feel the likes of Smith, Labuschagne and Lyon (if they come) could fare well in those conditions, but we should still aim for victory.
- This will be a huge year for Babar Azam, especially in these home Tests. Rizwan and Shaheen have mainly taken the limelight in the past year for T20I heroics, but this upcoming year presents Babar with a massive opportunity. In the captaincy and especially with the bat, Babar is under pressure to score big runs and lead this team to some memorable victories as Pakistan prepare to host the big teams in red-ball cricket again. If he can post some big totals in favoured conditions, it would do a world of good for Pakistan's chances in these series and kickstart his Test career, which has lagged behind his white-ball performances. I really hope he steps up this year and properly realises his huge potential as he enters his prime.
Do you agree or disagree with my expectations for Pakistan cricket in 2022? What predictions do you have? Discuss below.
