With the CT emerging next early next year, Pakistan has a chance to defend their crown and win their first major trophy in 8 years. It won't be an easy path though and after a dismal WC2023 and T20 WC24, morale among fans is at an all time low. However, Pakistan has the advantage of playing on home soil and with a settled top order and solid pace attack, Pakistan should fancy their chances. There are still some dilemmas to solve if they are going to win this tournament and they must learn from WC23.
Fixtures
November - 3 ODIs vs Australia and 3 ODIs vs Zimbabwe
December - 3 ODIs vs South Africa
February - Tri-Series with South Africa and New Zealand
Who will captain the Team?
The first dilemma is who will captain the team. Will Babar retain captaincy after a dismal T20WC and his failure in WC23? It will be imperative to appoint a captain who has a track record of captaining and who has actually won trophies. Rizwan should be given captaincy in an ideal situation. It is imperative to have strong leadership and Babar should be moved aside. At the very least, Gary Kirsten should be given more authority to do as he pleases.
Middle order Dilemma
Whilst Rizwan will play at number 4, who will play at 5 and 6? Saud Shakeel may get further opportunities after a couple of promising innings during the WC. Agha Salman is another candidate with some decent outings in PSL and good batting in Test matches. The number 6 position is a tough one to solve since Iftikhar Ahmed has not performed as expected and recently had a disappointing T20WC. Mohammad Haris has all of the talent and shots available but he lacks the consistency to construct an innings of substance. The quickfire cameos might have more value in T20 cricket. The 'Finisher' position has been a problem for years and must be solved.
Shadab Khan's decline upsets the balance of the team
The decline of Shadab Khan has been a major problem for Pakistan considering he can provide in all 3 facets with his terrific fielding skills. Pakistan looked like a shadow of the team it once was with awful spin stocks in India and they were thrashed instead of being a threat. There is no control whilst bowling and this stems from a lack of FC cricket played. Pakistan will miss the cameos that Shadab plays but his bowling has been awful for a while so there is a need to find a replacement. Abrar Ahmed will be at the front of this list and Pakistan should be looking at other allround options like Arafat Minhas or even looking at pace bowling allrounders like Aamer Jamal to fill in the void.
Possible Team
1) Abdullah Shafique
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Mohammad Rizwan (WK) (C)
5) Saud Shakeel/Agha Salman
6) Mohammad Haris/Agha Salman
7) Aamer Jamal/Spin bowling AR
8) Mohammad Wasim
9) Shaheen Afridi
10) Naseem Shah
11) Abrar Ahmed
Thoughts on Pakistan's CT Trophy prospects?
Fixtures
November - 3 ODIs vs Australia and 3 ODIs vs Zimbabwe
December - 3 ODIs vs South Africa
February - Tri-Series with South Africa and New Zealand
Who will captain the Team?
The first dilemma is who will captain the team. Will Babar retain captaincy after a dismal T20WC and his failure in WC23? It will be imperative to appoint a captain who has a track record of captaining and who has actually won trophies. Rizwan should be given captaincy in an ideal situation. It is imperative to have strong leadership and Babar should be moved aside. At the very least, Gary Kirsten should be given more authority to do as he pleases.
Middle order Dilemma
Whilst Rizwan will play at number 4, who will play at 5 and 6? Saud Shakeel may get further opportunities after a couple of promising innings during the WC. Agha Salman is another candidate with some decent outings in PSL and good batting in Test matches. The number 6 position is a tough one to solve since Iftikhar Ahmed has not performed as expected and recently had a disappointing T20WC. Mohammad Haris has all of the talent and shots available but he lacks the consistency to construct an innings of substance. The quickfire cameos might have more value in T20 cricket. The 'Finisher' position has been a problem for years and must be solved.
Shadab Khan's decline upsets the balance of the team
The decline of Shadab Khan has been a major problem for Pakistan considering he can provide in all 3 facets with his terrific fielding skills. Pakistan looked like a shadow of the team it once was with awful spin stocks in India and they were thrashed instead of being a threat. There is no control whilst bowling and this stems from a lack of FC cricket played. Pakistan will miss the cameos that Shadab plays but his bowling has been awful for a while so there is a need to find a replacement. Abrar Ahmed will be at the front of this list and Pakistan should be looking at other allround options like Arafat Minhas or even looking at pace bowling allrounders like Aamer Jamal to fill in the void.
Possible Team
1) Abdullah Shafique
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Mohammad Rizwan (WK) (C)
5) Saud Shakeel/Agha Salman
6) Mohammad Haris/Agha Salman
7) Aamer Jamal/Spin bowling AR
8) Mohammad Wasim
9) Shaheen Afridi
10) Naseem Shah
11) Abrar Ahmed
Thoughts on Pakistan's CT Trophy prospects?
