Asia Cup 2023, Match 3 | Pakistan's Predicted XI vs India
Babar Azam had a great start to Asia Cup 2023 as he notched up a brilliant hundered against Nepal (Source: AP Photos)
The mother of all clashes in the history of cricket is back. It's the rivalry that goes beyond the pages of history books, its India versus Pakistan- the most awaited contest in the coveted Asia Cup 2023. The Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy will be staging this collosal of an event on September 2, Saturday, starting at 15:00 IST.
The Men in Green have kicked off their Asian Championship campaign with a thumping victory against Nepal after Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed's century, coupled with some mailicious bowling effort sealed a 238 runs triumph. They have fetched crucial two points and another victory against India will keep them ahead in the tournament.
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Meanwhile, Team India under the leadership of Rohit Sharma will eye on a perfect start to the campaign that heads up to the 2023 World Cup. With Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna regaining their best energy level, the Men in Blue will look to constitute a formadible XI to give a tough fight to their counterparts. They are stacked alongside Pakistan and Nepal in Group A where teams are supposed to participate in the round-robin format.
A scintillating match card awaits us where the best players of the Continent will be on display. With scanty amount of time in hand, let us have a glance at Pakistan's predicted XI based on their recent form, player stats, et al.
Openers: Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq
Fakhar Zaman enjoy batting against India and might be key factor in the match (Source: AP Photos)
The left-handed duo of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq were on display against Nepal in Pakistan's first game in the Asia Cup 2023. The pair failed to give a flying start but keeping in mind, the capability, this is the combination Pakistan should go with. Moreover, Imam was brilliant during the recent series that Pakistan played against Afghanistan and Fakhar, though scratchy, is a big match player and can win matches on his day.
Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman 2023 ODI form:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Runs per innings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imam-ul-Haq | 9 | 361 | 40.01 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 12 | 593 | 49.41 |
Middle-Order- Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed
Mohammad Rizwan is a big asset for Pakistan in the middle-order (Source: AP Photos)
It was the middle-order of Pakistan that saved them from scrutiny against a lower-ranked cricketing nation like Nepal. They lost their openers early and the scoreboard saw 25-2 within the powerplay. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam stepped up to tailor 86 runs together, followed by Iftikhar Ahmed's ton. Also, Babar went on to smack 151 runs off 131 balls, stitching a record-shattering 214-run for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar. Henceforth, this is a very importamnt entity of the Pakistan XI that will be a part against India.
Recent ODI stats of the Pakistani Middle-order:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Runs per innings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | 12 | 689 | 57.41 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 12 | 477 | 39.75 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 5 | 278 | 55.60 |
All-rounders: Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz
Shadab Khan can impact a match with both the bat and the ball (Source: AP Photos)
Although Agha Salman has been backed on the basis of his recent performances in the domestic format and the red-ball international series' , he failed to gleam against Nepal. Salman is a promising batter who is the sixth bowling option of captain Babar. Joined by his side, Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz are the premier all-rounders of Pakistan who are likley to feature against India. The wrist spin and left-arm orthodox spin combination has been successful in regulating the middle phases of the innings for Pakistan. Adding up, their endeavours with the bat is more than necessary to the Pakistan side.
Here is a look at the record of these players in ODIs in 2023:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salman Agha | 12 | 300 | 4 |
| Shadab Khan | 7 | 129 | 11 |
| Muhammad Nawaz | 8 | 60 | 9 |
Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf
Shaheen Shah Afridi will be a big threat to the Indian top-order (Source: Twitter)
Pakistan's pace bowling trio has been haunting various players across the globe since the past few months. Their recent act of folding up Afghanistan for 59 in the first ODI was an epitome of destruction. The left-arm and right-arm pace combination of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah with the new ball has been vicious. Adding up Haris Rauf's pace and bounce, it has caused hell lot of trouble for batters across nations.
Its worth noting that Shaheen and Haris were off the field after their respective inital bursts against Nepal but the author understands that it was a precationary measure against dehydration due to the humid conditions of Multan and the duo should play against India on September 2.
This is how the trio has done with the ball in ODIs in 2023:
| Players | Matches | Wickets | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Afridi | 8 | 16 | 23.8 |
| Naseem Shah | 8 | 16 | 24.7 |
| Haris Rauf | 10 | 17 | 28.1 |
Asia Cup 2023, Match 3: Pakistan Predicted XI vs India
Fakhar Zaman
Imam-ul-Haq
Babar Azam (c)
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Agha Salman
Iftikhar Ahmed
Shadab Khan
Muhammad Nawaz
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Naseem Shah
Haris Rauf
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.jpg "Rohit Sharma vs Fakhar Zaman ODI Numbers")