Less than 48 hours after their poor batting effort against India, Pakistan will prepare for their next match at the same stadium where they slowly burnt their way to defeat in the most-watched cricketing spectacle. Up against Canada should be their simplest assignment in the campaign, but in their first two games at the World Cup, they have demonstrated the propensity to allow the opposition to seize control in the most unlikely of circumstances.
Unfortunately, the former champions cannot afford any more mistakes for the time being. Even a victory, at most, ensures that they have a chance of staying in the competition. Their pacers have performed admirably, but in all other areas they have fallen short. Form has long left them, and with each successive setback over the previous several months, it is unsurprising that their confidence has suffered.
Their main issue would be their failure to dominate high-pressure scenarios in the game. It won’t help that Canada will be a considerably more confident team, having won their first T20 World Cup by beating Ireland. Nicholas Kirton and Shreyas Movva have been the outstanding batsmen, but they will need to improve their all-round performance to advance and keep their chances alive in the competition.
When: Tuesday, June 11 at 10:30 AM (Local Time), 8:00 PM (IST).
Where: Pakistan against Canada, Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
What to expect: Run scoring has been incredibly tough at the Nassau County stadium, and this is likely to be another low-scoring game. It is also forecast to be slightly cloudy, but with no rain.
Head-to-head: Pakistan 1-0 Canada.
Team Watch:
Pakistan: Babar Azam’s side may remain with a similar combination, although they could be tempted to put in Azam Khan or Saim Ayub in lieu of Usman Khan.
Tactics and Matchups: Aaron Johnson has been explosive on the Powerplay, particularly against left-handed pitchers. Naseem Shah might be the key, as Pakistan will want to get him out quickly. In what is projected to be a low-scoring game, Johnson’s time in the center might be important.
Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imad Wasim/Azam Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Amir.
Canada: Following their historic victory, the North American team may opt to stick with their current lineup.
Tactics & Matchups: While the circumstances have favored pacers, Babar Azam, Azam Khan, Saim Ayub, and Imad Wasim have struggled against spinners, scoring fewer than 125 runs in T20Is dating back to January 2022.
Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Dilpreet Bajwa, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva, Dillon Heylinger, Saad bin Zafar, Junai Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, and Jeremy Gordon.
Did you know?
Pakistan’s Powerplay run rate of 5.41 is currently the lowest among the 20 teams in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Aaron Johnson’s Powerplay strike rate in T20Is has been 147.40 since the previous T20 World Cup. In comparison, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan had strike rates of 132.03 and 121.43 respectively in this era.
What they stated:
Coming back from the first game was crucial. Trust me, it was not that simple… It’s great to achieve our first win in the World Cup. Hopefully, we can keep getting stronger. Our next target is Pakistan – Nicholas Kirton, following Canada’s victory over Ireland.
As a batting unit, you can’t lose as many wickets as we do. After Pakistan’s defeat against India, Gary Kirsten emphasized the importance of players accepting responsibility when given the opportunity.
Canada squad: Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Dilpreet Bajwa, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (w), Dillon Heyliger, Saad Bin Zafar (c), Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Rishiv Ragav Joshi, Rayyan Pathan, Ravinderpal Singh.
Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (w), Babar Azam (c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Abbas Afridi.