DALLAS – Green Shirts are set to launch T20 World Cup campaign with the match against one of the two co-hosts the United States of America (USA) on June 6, Thursday.
Pakistan arrived late in the USA with no warmup matches and as such facing the challenge of acclimatization to the local conditions. In addition to that, the recent form of Pakistan as a unit is also not satisfactory to enter such a mega event.
But there are advantages which could help lift the team when it would be playing matches in the Super Eight stage in the Carribean. Skipper Babar Azam and six more players of the T20 World Cup 2024 squad have collectively played more than 150 matches in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with enough runs and wickets under their belts.
Left-arm speedster Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim are notable performers in the CPL. Imad Wasim has taken 61 wickets and scored 625 runs in 54 matches with decent economy and strike-rate. Mohammad Amir has bagged 43 wickets in 29 matches. Azam Khan has played 33 matches, scoring 659 runs at a healthy strike-rate. Saim Ayub has scored 478 runs in 13 matches at a brisk pace besides taking one wicket.
Though Shadab Khan has failed with the bat, he has taken 19 wickets in 11 matches while conceding less runs than the balls bowled. Naseem Shah has played seven and Babar Azam five matches in the CPL. As such, key players have enough experience of playing in the Caribbean with notable performances which could be helpful for the Green Shirts as a unit.
