Pakistan have an excellent record in the T20 World Cup since it was inaugurated in 2007. The Shaheens lifted the trophy in 2009, beating Sri Lanka in the final. They were also runners-up two years earlier.
Hopes are high within the PCB that Pakistan can once again have a strong tournament. They are currently ranked number four in the ICC T20 rankings behind England, India and Australia respectively. Conditions in India should be favorable, while this format of the game is arguably Pakistan’s strongest.
Given they are the host nation, India are the favorites in the betting at +225 for the title. Pakistan are outsiders at +800, but that’s a position the Shaheens enjoy. There will be far less pressure on Pakistan compared to the hosts who will be expected to come out on top.
In T20 cricket, individual moments of brilliance can win a match. Pakistan are not short of players who can do that. Babar Azam has been one of the most consistent scorers in international limited overs action. With the ball, Shaheen Afridi is looking more impressive with every game he has in a green shirt.
Pakistan In Good Form In T20 Cricket
Over the last couple of years, Pakistan have been in excellent form in T20 cricket. They have lost just one of their last four series. That defeat came against New Zealand where they were the visitors.
In their last series, Pakistan defeated South Africa 2-1. They won the decisive game by four wickets. Mohammad Rizwan was the Player of the Series as he excelled with the bat and proved to be a safe pair of hands behind the wickets.
Pakistan showed how they can be competitive against the best teams in world cricket when they drew with the leaders in the ICC rankings, England. They won the final game of that series by five runs at Old Trafford to level up against the hosts.
One of Pakistan’s downfalls in the past has been that their performances have dipped against some of the lower-ranked nations in international cricket. That was not the case against Zimbabwe last year. They won their series against the Chevrons 3-0 in what was a dominant display.
Pakistan Handed Favorable Group Draw
Pakistan has been drawn into Group 1 for the Super 12 at the T20 World Cup. They will be joined by Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and two other qualifiers. This is the weaker of the two groups as it means they will avoid India and England until later in the competition.
The top two teams from the Super 12 will advance through to the semi-finals. Pakistan will have a great chance of reaching the last four. Australia and New Zealand are likely to provide the biggest tests, however, at a neutral venue, those matches are sure to be closely fought.
The T20 World Cup begins on October 18 when Sri Lanka face Ireland in the first round. In what will be the 45th game of the tournament, the final is scheduled for November 15.