Under normal circumstances, the Pakistani cricket team is a strong one and can beat anyone on their day. But this T20 World Cup has seen their worst so far, and keeping that in mind, in PAK vs CAN on Tuesday, it is not a given that they would win. After all, Babar Azam and & Co. have lost to USA & IND, which must have dented their confidence. On top of that, Canada beat Ireland in their last match too.
Pakistan’s Poor Batting
The PAK vs CAN match will also be played at the Nassau County stadium in New York, where scoring runs has been a bit of a problem. And with Pakistan batting struggling, one really doesn’t know if they can deliver. In the match vs USA, Babar Azam scored 44 off 43 with a strike rate over 100. Then against India, he got 13 in 10 vs India, which is only poor.
Mohammad Rizwan has been equally bad in both the matches. In India match he got 31 from 44, striking at 70. Against USA he got 9 from 8. Usman Khan has returned with 3 from 3 and 13 from 15 in two matches. Fakhar Zaman with 11 from 7 and 13 from 8 has bee ordinary as well. Iftikhar Ahmed has gotten 23 off 23 deliveries. So, in short, it is trouble calling for Pakistan.
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Canada’s Miserly Bowling
Despite bowling poorly in the match vs USA, where the latter chased down 195, Canadian bowlers have an excellent track record, and one where they are not known to give away a lot of runs. For starters, skipper Saad Bin Zafar has a career economy rate of 6.50 only. The left-arm spinner can be mighty effective against Pakistan’s middle-order.
Leg-spinner Junaid Siddiqui is difficult to score off. His career economy rate stands at 5.45 only. Then there is all-rounder Harsh Thaker, who with his off-spins can curtail the scoring as well. He gives away runs at 6.12, which bodes well for Canada. Other bowlers in their roster, Nikhil Dutta, Dilon Heyliger, and Kaleem Sena have an economy of 6.65, 7.08 and 6.02, respectively.
Of course, these performances by the Canadian bowlers might have come with lesser teams, but there is no denying, if they can hold their nerve against the Asian giants, they can well be on their way to pull off an upset. Plus the pitch at Nassau County in New York will do its best to aid the bowlers. And Pakistan needs to be wary.
Editors pick
