A lot has happened since India and Pakistan faced each other last week. After a 7-wicket drubbing, Pakistan went on to make many questionable decisions, majorly steered by the administrators. After Suryakumar Yadav and his men denied a handshake, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) went into turmoil, attacking match referee Andy Pycroft.
As it turned out, the situation only became embarrassing for them as the ICC ruled out all the pleas and threats of Pakistan cricket. Now, Pycroft is once again the referee of the Super Fours clash between India and Pakistan.
While the Indian team will look to play their first team once again and bring back Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah, what about Team Pakistan? They somehow went past the UAE, thanks to Shaheen Afridi’s late exploits with the bat. Salman Ali Agha made two changes for that game, bringing in Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah in place of Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf.
Fakhar Zaman to demote Saim Ayub
Now, what changes does Pakistan make for a high-octane clash tonight? Well, according to Telecom Asia Sport, a lot of alterations are in store for the Men in Green. Apparently, a crucial meeting was conducted among captain Salman Agha and senior players to decide to playing XI for the India clash.
As per reports, Saim Ayub is likely to face a demotion after his three consecutive ducks in the tournament. While he has done quite remarkably as a finger spinner, Ayub has recorded two golden and one silver duck. As an opener, Ayub averages just 20.80 in T20Is. What’s more fascinating is the fact that he averages a mere 7.66 in first overs. This is quite horrible when compared to the global average of 23. He has more wickets (6) than the number of runs he has scored in the Asia Cup.
Considering all this, it would be sensible for Pakistan to shift him in the middle-order. Either Fakhar Zaman or Mohammad Haris is likely to swap position with Ayub. Fakhar remains the possible option, considering a left-hander will replace a lefty. The middle-order would remain the same, involving Salman Agha, Khushdil Shah and Haris.
Shaheen Afridi to get pace backup
The lower middle order is likely to get a change as well, with Hasan Nawaz likely to be left aside. The 2002-born has managed to do nothing in the lower order, failing to enter the two-digit mark in three attempts. Instead, Pakistan are likely to bring back Faheem Ashraf, who will add variety to the bowling attack that already has Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf as pacers. Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz (also Ayub) remain the spin options.
Predicted Pakistan Playing XI vs India, Super Fours
| S. No | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fakhar Zaman |
| 2 | Sahibzada Farhan |
| 3 | Mohammad Haris (wk) |
| 4 | Saim Ayub |
| 5 | Salman Ali Agha |
| 6 | Khushdil Shah |
| 7 | Faheem Ashraf/Hussain Talat |
| 8 | Shaheen Afridi |
| 9 | Mohammad Nawaz |
| 10 | Haris Rauf |
| 11 | Abrar Ahmed |
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