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Pakistan's road to the T20 World Cup final...

So potentially even after losing first two matches Pakistan get three easy games after that.

Are there crowds allowed or is it without crowd ?
 
The hopes of Pakistan fans will be pinned on Babar Azam who is set to captain the nation for the first time in an ICC event.

This will also be Azam's first T20 World Cup as a player after a forearm injury ruled him out of the previous edition in 2016.

Pakistan have excelled under his captaincy, winning four of their past five series, and they will be hoping they can ride that momentum all the way to the T20 World Cup trophy.

"We are getting closer to the World Cup and like other teams, we too are experimenting with our team combinations," said Azam. "We hope that we gel well heading into the World Cup and hopefully, we can perform well."

Pakistan will begin their World Cup campaign against India on 24 October and will play all their group stage fixtures in Dubai and Sharjah. Having played 36 T20Is in UAE, the most by any team in the world, they will be looking to use their familiarity with the venues to their advantage.

"The conditions in UAE will be like home to us as we have played a lot of games there. We are well aware of the conditions and we will try to use that to our advantage in the World Cup to play good cricket.

"The boys are excited about the mega event and eager to perform well on a world stage where all eyes are on you. As a captain, I am trying to instil confidence in the team and we are looking forward to doing well in the World Cup."

Ranked second in the ICC T20I rankings for batsmen, Azam has been the cornerstone of Pakistan's batting since he made his debut in the shortest form of the game in September 2016. Despite the added burden that comes with the captaincy, Azam considers it an honour to lead his country in a World Cup.

"You start to play cricket for the star on the Pakistan jersey. When you make your way up to the national team and get the opportunity to captain your country, it is a matter of pride. I am enjoying this phase and taking things positively in spite of the pressure and responsibility that come with it.

"It is an honour to captain Pakistan in an ICC event. At the same time, I am excited and looking to lead the team from the front at the big stage."
 
Just imagine the mental momentum Pakistan will have if they beat India first up. Anything can happen in a T20.
 
would be surprised if pak do anything of note. the batting is all over over the place.
 
Waqar and Misbah will be using this WC to get their playing 11 right by the time they will get it right - the WC will be over for them. However, I will pray for Pakistan success with God, and hopefully, fortunes may change in the favor of Pakistan starting from the first match against India. I just do not want to see Waqar any way near to Pakistan team he is a bad luck who is not a good strategist. Since I can not change it, hopefully, opposition teams play badly. That's the only hope.
 
For Pakistan to win the World Cup, they definitely need to lose the first 2 games. Be on the brink of bowing out of the competition. That's the only way they win an ICC event.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"There is a lot of excitement to perform well." <br><br>Pakistan skipper <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@babarazam258</a> is ready to lead his side at the ICC Men's <a href="https://twitter.com/T20WorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@T20WorldCup</a> 2021 &#55358;&#56617; <a href="https://t.co/TMm9fYXkuU">pic.twitter.com/TMm9fYXkuU</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1427586004962078720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announcement brings us one step forward in our preparations for this much-awaited global tournament. We will utilise the build-up period by playing in home series against New Zealand and England and will not only aim to fine-tune our final outlook but also win as many matches as possible so that we can carry that winning form and momentum to the United Arab Emirates.

“For Pakistan, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is like a home event as the UAE has been our venue for more than a decade. We have not only nurtured our talent and developed our side in the UAE but have also beaten the top sides in these conditions to peak to number-one in the ICC T20I Team Rankings.

“All the players are excited, motivated and enthusiastic, and view this tournament as an opportunity to showcase our prowess and re-establish our superiority in the shortest format of the game in conditions that suit us best.

“From a personal point of view, this will be my first ICC Major Event as Pakistan captain. I tasted success in 2017 and suffered disappointment in 2019 when we missed out on a semi-final spot by a fraction of a point despite beating both the finalists in league matches. I remain focused in inspiring my side with my performances so that we can become the first Pakistan side to win an ICC Major Event in Asia.”
 
Beat one of Ind or NZ and Pak have a huge opportunity to reach the semi's.
 
Out of India, Afghanistan and NZ.

NZ seem the least dangerous team to me :))

We are India's bunny.

And all Afghanistan have to do is get Rizwan out. Babar is hopeless against quality spin. Fakhar will get out after a couple of boundaries and rest are a bunch of TTFs.


I'll watch the tournament with low expectations. Sorry Pakistani fans but it is gonna be a hard world cup for us.
 
Pakistan probably have a 50-50 chance overall. India and NZ should be tough.

Afghanistan game can go either way. Pakistan should beat the other two teams.

It may come down to NRR.
 
sweep_shot said:
Pakistan probably have a 50-50 chance overall. India and NZ should be tough.

Afghanistan game can go either way. Pakistan should beat the other two teams.

It may come down to NRR.
Click to expand...

Pakistan's chances depend on our team selection.

If we have the experience of Shoaib Malik against spin in our middle order, it will allow our top order to have a sigh of relief.

T20 World Cup scores are usually around the 160 mark, and I don't expect that to change too much.

You need people who can anchor the team to get these types of totals, and you need firepower in the lower order for totals like 180+.

I would say that we need Malik the most, along with Sohaib Maqsood opening the batting alongside Rizwan if Babar is comfortable at #3.
 
Pak Team selection is frankly irrelevant. There are top 5 who should play in every match if fit and then the other 6 can be selected from the top 30 with rock-paper-scissors before each match, and it won’t make a difference to the result.

All this frustration on selection before every match, series or world cup is to hide the cruel fact that Pak is no longer in the reckoning.

This does not mean that Pak can’t win the world cup, but that selection won’t be a reason for losing in leagues or winning the cup.
 
Barragan said:
Beat one of Ind or NZ and Pak have a huge opportunity to reach the semi's.
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Problem with Pak is that they may beat one of India or New Zealand but are also likely to end up losing to one of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or heck.. even Ireland. So it kinda balances it out. They need to be consistent regardless of the opponent.
 
MenInG said:
So, will we reach the final?
Click to expand...

Inshallah!!! I have a good feeling about this team!

Just please someone tell Barbar not to select Harris Rauf the 4 machine and we will get there!
 
Usman said:
Inshallah!!! I have a good feeling about this team!

Just please someone tell Barbar not to select Harris Rauf the 4 machine and we will get there!
Click to expand...

I totally disagree with that now. Rauf if you watched the National T20 bowled well in the latter stages of the game i.e. give him one over during the powerplay and then play him from over 13 onwards to finish his spell. Playing someone like Rauf at the back end can be a nightmare for batsmen who are looking to push the accelerator towards a big score, use him wisely every bowler has his place play them to their strengths.

However, on the other hand the batting is the major concern with the inclusion of both Hafeez and Malik in the XI, we've discarded performers who performed in the National T20 for quite frankly 2 past their prime batsmen, guys like Nawaz and Haider will now get the short end of the stick i.e. get selected when it's too late and in the case of Haider playing in the lower middle order when he's a great candidate for no. 3.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
I totally disagree with that now. Rauf if you watched the National T20 bowled well in the latter stages of the game i.e. give him one over during the powerplay and then play him from over 13 onwards to finish his spell. Playing someone like Rauf at the back end can be a nightmare for batsmen who are looking to push the accelerator towards a big score, use him wisely every bowler has his place play them to their strengths.

However, on the other hand the batting is the major concern with the inclusion of both Hafeez and Malik in the XI, we've discarded performers who performed in the National T20 for quite frankly 2 past their prime batsmen, guys like Nawaz and Haider will now get the short end of the stick i.e. get selected when it's too late and in the case of Haider playing in the lower middle order when he's a great candidate for no. 3.
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I have watched Rauf play a lot for Pakistan and he bowls so much filth. I just cannot see his appeal. He bowls fast - great - I don’t care when the ball is in the slot every other ball. He is capable of losing matches by himself he is so awful.

I agree that Hafeez and Malik are not great, but we do have really good openers followed by Fakhar, so the roles of Hafeez and Malik will hopefully be limited. Even if they are required, even these two are capable of putting in a winning performance or two. If we then select Haider as well, that’s a pretty decent batting line up.

I maintain that Rauf is the big issue in this side.
 
Usman said:
I have watched Rauf play a lot for Pakistan and he bowls so much filth. I just cannot see his appeal. He bowls fast - great - I don’t care when the ball is in the slot every other ball. He is capable of losing matches by himself he is so awful.

I agree that Hafeez and Malik are not great, but we do have really good openers followed by Fakhar, so the roles of Hafeez and Malik will hopefully be limited. Even if they are required, even these two are capable of putting in a winning performance or two. If we then select Haider as well, that’s a pretty decent batting line up.

I maintain that Rauf is the big issue in this side.
Click to expand...

There's no other strike bowler we have in our team and the only other guy who i've vouched for is Dahani who should be playing in these conditions, yet we ignore performers.

The roles of Malik and Hafeez need to be dissolved, we can't keep going to past their prime players. Don't fear failure just start building players by giving them chances i.e. the young talent. We are setting ourselves up again like we did in WC19. We bank on experience and then experience comes back to bite us, Hafeez has looked terrible with the bat with the silly shots he's playing.

Babar and management need to make bold decisions and move on from these players, i mean that's like India still playing Yuvraj or Gambhir.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Super 12s Groups:<br><br>Group 1<br>England<br>Australia<br>South Africa<br>West Indies<br>Bangladesh<br>Sri Lanka<br><br>Group 2<br>India<br>Pakistan<br>New Zealand<br>Afghanistan<br>Scotland<br>Namibia<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1451575216476459009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Super 12s Groups:<br><br>Group 1<br>England<br>Australia<br>South Africa<br>West Indies<br>Bangladesh<br>Sri Lanka<br><br>Group 2<br>India<br>Pakistan<br>New Zealand<br>Afghanistan<br>Scotland<br>Namibia<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1451575216476459009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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So its Ind v Pak v NZ really from this group - easy for Pakistan?
 
Pakistan vs Indian ( 40/60)
Pakistan vs New Zealand(65/35)
Pakistan vs Afghanistan(75/25)
Pakistan vs Namibia (98/2)
Pakistan vs Scotland (93/7)

Pakistan should easily make the Semifinal.
 
For some reason you guys r taking afghanistan very lightly. Watch out for them
 
Surely a 2 horse race between New Zealand and Pakistan to join India in the semi-finals?
 
T20 WC semi final dates

If Pakistan top the group which seems highly likely, which day will the semi final be played (November 10th or 11th)?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More wonderful reading if your team is <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/rn9v5FE3YN">pic.twitter.com/rn9v5FE3YN</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1454856342494224386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Putting a rocky lead-in to one side, Pakistan have led the way in Group 2 in the T20 World Cup Super 12s.

During training, the Pakistan men's cricket team is in the habit of taking a flag or two out to the middle, something that coach Saqlain Mushtaq has brought into the culture.

It's meant to act as a constant reminder of the pride of playing for their nation. "This team represents the entire country," the coach said. "It reminds [the players] that 220 million people stand united."

That feeling of pride and togetherness has served the team well as they have stormed through the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 so far, especially considering their lead-up into the tournament was far from ideal: there was a late change in coaching staff and matches against England, New Zealand and Afghanistan were called off owing to various reasons.

So, success was sweet on Tuesday when Pakistan brushed aside Namibia to remain unbeaten in four games to seal their place in the semi-final.

Their journey began when they made World Cup history by beating arch-rivals India for the first time in a men's World Cup. The emphatic manner of that victory infused in the team a boost in morale and confidence that has carried them and grown in strength with every success.

Road to the semi-finals

The tone for Pakistan's campaign was set in their very first over of the competition. Shaheen Afridi had visualised getting India's top three batters out, and checked off two of those wickets in his first spell where he was near unplayable. Rohit Sharma was trapped lbw by a yorker, while KL Rahul was bowled by one coming into him. He then returned to have Virat Kohli caught behind just when the India skipper was getting ready to hit out at the death.

After a strong bowling performance to keep India to 151/7, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down the target with an unbroken opening stand.

Azam had kept emotions in check to remind fans and his team that this was just the start for Pakistan. And it gave them the perfect platform from which to take off.

Against New Zealand, after they chose to bowl, Haris Rauf bowled with pace and fire. One of his yorkers hit 149kph on the speed gun and he finished with four wickets – though curiously many of them coming with his slower variation. With the bowlers all doing their bit, Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 134/8.

This time, the chase was trickier. At 87/5 in the 15th over, New Zealand were well in the game, but Asif Ali played the finisher's role to perfection, smashing three sixes in his 12-ball 27* to seal the game.

Ali was the star of the chase against Afghanistan too. Naveen-ul-Haq had bowled an excellent 18th over, which went for just two runs, leaving Pakistan 24 to get off the last two overs. Thanks to Ali, they needed just one of those: He smashed four sixes off Karim Janat to complete a chase of 148 to seal their third win in a row.

Earlier in that game, Azam had made his second fifty of the tournament.

His third came against Namibia, with the Azam-Rizwan pair again on song. Choosing to bat this time, they played out a maiden opening over, and got to a steady 59 in 10 overs. But then they stepped on the accelerator, and how. The final 10 overs went for 130 runs, with all of Azam, Rizwan and Hafeez punishing the hapless Namibian bowling.

To their credit, Namibia offered stern resistance but there would be no denying Azam's team the first spot in the semi-finals.

What's worked for them
In previous tournaments, Pakistan might have been known for their volatility, their unpredictable results taking their fans on an emotional rollercoaster. But in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, they have stood out for their consistency.

"To see consistency in the Pakistan dressing room, that's the biggest thing for me so far," said Shoaib Malik. "Everyone's helping each other. And it's a team game. When you're playing a team game, then you need your teammates' help, you need a lot of support from your management. And I see all of that coming."

In terms of cricket, they have ticked all the boxes. In the batting, their openers have set the tone well on sometimes challenging batting surfaces, they have run hard between the wickets, the experienced Mohammad Hafeez and Malik have made useful contributions, while Ali has been the best finisher of the tournament.

Their bowlers have hunted in a pack, able to shield any one of them who has a bad day. Their variety has been the envy of many other fans.

They've had some luck go their way, in winning three of their four tosses in a tournament where that has proved crucial – but after that they've made their own luck.

Concerns going to the knock-out

Pakistan have rarely come under consistent pressure for more than a few overs in the tournament, so their ability to bounce back or quickly move to plan B or C is not fully tested.

They have not been in a situation where the conditions such as pitch or dew have gone against them and while they did well batting first against Namibia, it remains to be seen how they manage in a similar position against more experienced sides.

Star performers
Mohammad Rizwan

Rizwan has barely put a foot wrong for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup and he has the average to show for it - 99.50. The opening batter and star keeper has notched two half-centuries so far, with the first coming against India and the second against Namibia.

He's Pakistan's leading run-scorer so far, but only just, pipping Azam by one run to this point.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pakistan's star opening bowler has been too hot to handle throughout the tournament, with his opening spell against India (3/31) setting the tone for the brand of cricket his team has played throughout.

Dangerous with the new ball and canny at the death, if he carries on his form then Pakistan are a match for any side.
 
Having searched quite extensively, I still don't know whether Pakistan - as potential toppers of Group 2, will play first semi final at Abu Dhabi or the second one, at Dubai. All I can find is Semi final 1 is A1 v B2 and B1 v A2 being the Semifinal 2. I dont know where this A B comes from when the Super 12 groups are distinguished with numbers ( 1 and 2)! So does somebody, who has gotten hold of this weird ICC's classification, please confirm where will Pakistan be playing their semifinal as group toppers.
 
Seen Sheen said:
Having searched quite extensively, I still don't know whether Pakistan - as potential toppers of Group 2, will play first semi final at Abu Dhabi or the second one, at Dubai. All I can find is Semi final 1 is A1 v B2 and B1 v A2 being the Semifinal 2. I dont know where this A B comes from when the Super 12 groups are distinguished with numbers ( 1 and 2)! So does somebody, who has gotten hold of this weird ICC's classification, please confirm where will Pakistan be playing their semifinal as group toppers.
Click to expand...

Dubai 2nd semifinal on 11th
 
Seen Sheen said:
Thanks, not that I am doubting your answer but can you tell how did you manage to figure it out/where did you find the exact info? Is it because Group1=A and Group B=2?
Click to expand...

In fixtures list and you can check on wiki too
 
Semi Final will be driven by India's finish as they are the host country.

If India is reaching the semi final stage they get the preference to play in Dubai regardless of B2.

Else it will be B1 Vs A2 on Thursday 11th November ( Pakistan plays this )
 
Eng is topper from group 1. Which will be second team, Aus or SA?
Which team Pak would prefer to play against in semi final between Aus and SA?
 
Mohammad Hafeez reviews the ICC Men's T20 World Cup journey to date and ahead.

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.206%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/ct7pv7" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
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