#T20WorldCup: Pakistan Still Searching For Their Best Playing XI?

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The #T20WorldCup kicked off yesterday, and Pakistan is gearing up for their first match of the tournament against the USA this coming Thursday. However, the team’s best playing XI remains uncertain. Let’s examine key positions that are still up for grabs.

Read: 4 Players Who Failed To Impress During The #ENGvPAK

Who Will Bat At The Number 5 Position During The #T20WorldCup?

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From the squad that we have, Azam Khan and Shadab Khan seem to be the obvious candidates for this position. Nevertheless, both have failed to impress in recent past. While Shadab is seriously out-of-form, Azam could neither deliver with the bat nor behind the stumps during the series against England.

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The top four positions are already taken and so, playing opener Saim Ayub at 5 also doesn’t make sense. Pakistan can still try Imad or Iftikhar but then that will affect the overall balance of the playing XI and certainly it doesn’t suit the green shirts to enter any contest in the tournament with six batters only.

So, technically, it’s between the out-of-form Khans. Let’s see who Pakistan decides to persist with.

Read: #GaryKirsten Wants #BabarAzam To Play Freely

Should Pakistan Drop Amir And Naseem Shah?

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On paper, Pakistan’s top five bowling options include Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Imad Wasim. However, Amir and Naseem have not been impressive in recent weeks. Given that the World Cup wickets are expected to help spin bowlers, it makes sense to consider dropping one of them in favor of the mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed.

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Additionally, it’s worth noting that Abbas Afridi has performed better than both Naseem and Amir in recent series. This raises the question: should Pakistan consider dropping their senior pacers? While it’s a difficult decision, it’s one that Pakistan must make sooner rather than later.

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