5 Lessons From Pakistan’s Sensational Win Over South Africa
In a thrilling match yesterday night at Sydney Cricket Ground, Babar’s team thrashed an undefeated South African side, and Pakistan made a strong comeback in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Men in Green were incredible as they amassed a respectable score before containing South Africa to win the game by 33 runs in a match marred by rain.
Early in the game, it appeared as though the Green Shirts were in for a humiliating defeat after losing their top order cheaply, but they mounted a brave comeback by taking the South African bowlers to task, a blow from which it seemed the Proteas never fully recovered.
Pakistan finally appeared to be the squad that the supporters had been accustomed to throughout the previous year, in large part due to their ferocity and approach to taking on a formidable South African team. The Men in Green must keep up the good work and maintain the strong T20 purpose they displayed in their previous game, as the Pakistan cricket supporters would be hoping.
1.Utilize the Powerplay
Concern has been expressed by Pakistan about their inability to fully take advantage of the fielding restrictions at the beginning of the innings. Numerous times, Pakistan has suffered from slow starts because they give the big hitters towards the end of the innings too much work to do.
With Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje as his world-class bowling partners, Mohammad Haris’ debut T20 World Cup innings was like a breath of fresh air for the team. While Haris’ time at the wicket was brief, his outstanding performance inspired the rest of the batting unit to play naturally and score a significant total for the team in the crucial match.
Imagine The Men in Green have been doing this regularly. Fast starts will not only put pressure on the opposition’s bowling attack, but they will also give the remainder of the batting lineup the assurance they need to play at a steady tempo and refrain from trying to knock sixes right away.
2.No Need for 3 Anchors
The experiment in Pakistan with three anchors at the top of the order needs to be abandoned right away. Although Babar, Rizwan, and Shan are all excellent players in their own right, starting with these three at the head of the lineup is a surefire way to fail.
In an ideal scenario, Pakistan would only have one anchor in their top order, but given Babar and Rizwan’s track record and Shan’s amazing performance, they did not have many options. The club management now has a taste of what it would be like to have a player who could dominate right away thanks to Haris’ participation in the lineup.
Pakistan would need to remove at least one anchor from Babar, Rizwan, and Shan going ahead. Then Shan be the unfortunate one since, once he drops out of the top three, his role drastically decreases. In the T20 World Cup, Shan has put in some strong performances, but Pakistan would gain more if Asif Ali or Khushdil Shah were chosen in Shan’s place.
3.Taking on the Spinners in Middle Overs
Pakistan’s choice to bat against spinners in the middle of the innings has contributed significantly to their success thus far in the competition.
In Pakistan’s match against India, Iftikhar faced off against Ashwin and Axar Patel, while in the match against South Africa, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz faced off against Tabraiz Shamsi. As it gave the rest of the innings a boost, this part of the game managed to shift the tide in Pakistan’s favour.
4.Trust Shadab & Nawaz as Middle-Order Batters
The Pakistani team has suffered on numerous times as a result of the management’s unwillingness to believe in Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan as suitable middle-overs batsmen. Both players ought to be viewed as legitimate all-rounders, and going forward, more batting duty ought to fall on their shoulders.
Both players lately displayed their batting prowess and proved to be match-winners for the club thanks to their performances. Their prowess with the bat is demonstrated by Nawaz’s legendary innings against India in the 2022 Asia Cup and Shadab’s spectacular half-century against South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup match.
5.No Set Pattern in Death Bowling
One of the finest in the competition, if not the best, is Pakistan’s speed assault. The Men in Green have some fantastic fast bowlers who perform well in various match scenarios. Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr. are death-over experts, while Shaheen and Naseem are deadly up front.
Pakistan’s speed assault is diverse, which gives them the ability to employ various techniques at various points in the game. The focus should be on maximising the bowlers’ strengths in conjunction with the pitch circumstances rather than following a predetermined routine.
For instance, both Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr. were excellent in the end of the South African innings, yet both bowlers bowled very differently. Naseem took advantage of the pitch conditions and bowled slow-cutters while Wasim concentrated on bowling his deadly yorkers. Despite their differences, each are equally powerful.
