The Pakistan cricket team has been in Sri Lanka since February 2. It’s safe to say that the Men in Green are well acclimatised to the conditions in Colombo. One warm-up game and two group-stage matches later, the heavyweight India clash awaits them in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Although Pakistan stumbled in their opening fixture against the Netherlands, they crossed the line with ease against the USA. So far, captain Salman Ali Agha and head coach Mike Hesson have made just one change to their team.
In the second game, Pakistan played two frontline spinners and three spin-bowling all-rounders. They are expected to follow the same pattern against India on February 15. However, Pakistan will see a change in venue. The Men in Green have played their two matches at the Sinhalese Sports Club and will have to move to R. Premadasa Stadium for the India vs Pakistan match.
Should Shaheen Afridi be dropped?
But both venues haven’t been batting havens. Spin has played a big role in both, and chasing hasn’t been easy. Pakistan’s team is pretty much set. They just have to ponder over two positions. First is the frontline fast bowler.
Against the Netherlands, Pakistan played Salman Mirza and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Against the USA, Salman was rested. That was despite him taking a 3-fer. Meanwhile, Shaheen played both games and went at 10 runs an over, taking 2 wickets in 7 overs.
Even with taking his lower-order hitting into account, it makes no sense to play Shaheen. Fresh from a knee injury, the tall pacer hasn’t been at his best. Meanwhile, Salman has been on the money. He was dropped against the USA but is expected to play over Shaheen against India.
Stick with Babar Azam
The second position in question is number four. Babar Azam has been playing there. He played a negative innings against the Netherlands, 15 (18), leaving Pakistan in a worse position than they were before. But against the USA, he delivered. Now the question is, should Babar be dropped for Fakhar Zaman?
Traditionally, Fakhar’s an opener. But the southpaw can take down spin. He can match well against Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. Moreover, he has been a proven match-winner against India in the past. But the management might back Babar. On a slow surface, someone of his quality could save Pakistan. Plus, he was good in the middle overs in the last game.
Predicted Pakistan Playing XI vs India
Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
Bench: Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
