Much of the focus on Pakistan going into this tournament was on affairs off the cricket field and now they have finally arrived in India they will be looking to prove their worth on it. They have plenty to prove after a disappointing Asia Cup prior to this tournament.
Form
Pakistan finished that competition with a win but defeats to Bangladesh and India had already consigned them to their fate. They will hope to build on that win over Sri Lanka but it has to be said they will need to.
You never truly know what you will get from Pakistan which has been a problem of theirs for a while but if they can find some consistency with the bat then they look to have a bowling attack which can be hard to score from. It is a big if though.
Key men
Pakistan often need an experienced head to bat around in this format of the game and that man looks likely to be Shoaib Malik. Malik is a great player of spin and his experience in the many T20 leagues around the world have allowed him to become an expert in pacing his innings and that could be vital.
Mohammad Amir has the potential to be the best bowler in this tournament so he is going to be a massive player with the ball throughout the competition. He is solid at the beginning of the innings with the new ball and just as good at the death. He is a huge player for Pakistan.
Fixtures
Wed Mar 16 – Super 10 Group 2: Bangladesh vs Pakistan (Kolkata)
Sat Mar 19 – Super 10 Group 2: India vs Pakistan (Kolkata)
Tues Mar 22 – Super 10 Group 2: New Zealand vs Pakistan (Mohali)
Fri Mar 25 – Super 10 Group 2: Australia vs Pakistan (Mohali)
Stats
Overall T20I record: P102 W59 L40 T3
Last 10 results (most recent last): LLTWLLLWLW
Record vs group opponents:
Vs Australia: P13 W7 L5 T1
Vs Bangladesh: P9 W7 L2
Vs India: P7 W1 L5 T1
Vs New Zealand: P14 W8 L6
Record batting first: P53 W34 L18 T1
Record batting second: P49 W25 L22 T2
Odds
Tournament odds: 16/1 (General)
Group 2 odds: 7/1 (Coral)
Team bets
There are an awful lot of inconsistent stroke players in this Pakistan side. I’m sure they’ll all come off at some point in the tournament but over four matches it might be the consistent sorts that prosper most for them and so I have the top batsman market between Shoaib Malik for reasons mentioned above, and Sarfraz Ahmed.
The latter is more than double the price of the former and I don’t get that because Sarfraz is going to bat high up the order and with Pakistan’s opening partnership having delivered little for ages I would imagine he’ll be utilised to shore things up and build a platform where the likes of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi can express themselves.
His last two scores in the Asia Cup were 58* and 38 and he batted at four in the warm up match so he could be the hidden man in the top batsman betting market.
With the ball I can’t ignore Mo Amir even at 9/4. I accept this is a really competitive betting heat with the likes of Mohammad Irfan, Shahid Afridi and Wahab Riaz around but I’m just a massive fan of Amir.
He will take the new ball and he’ll bowl at the death which should be perfect on these tracks and while he is a seamer he has some brilliant change ups which should make him difficult to face in this tournament. He’s had his time off but he’s come back as good as ever and even at 9/4 I think there’s plenty of value in him to lead Pakistan’s wickets.
Back S.Ahmed Top Pakistan Tournament Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 9.50 with NetBet
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Back M.Amir Top Pakistan Tournament Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 3.25 with Ladbrokes
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