 Pakistan
will face Ireland on the penultimate day of the Super Eights competition
of the ICC World T20 on Monday. It is a must-win game for Pakistan if
they need to harbour any hopes of making it to the semi-finals, however, they
will favour their chances against an inexperienced team like Ireland. Ireland
has a game on Sunday against Sri Lanka, but the probability of them winning
that game isn't too high. Yet, if they do manage to stun Sri Lanka, then things
could get really interesting.
Pakistan looked to be going nowhere in the competition with their losses to
England and Sri Lanka, but the result in their last game against New Zealand
would have warmed them up nicely for the task. Their batting has been an obvious
problem, with Salman Butt's prolonged failures ensuring a place for Shahzaib
Hasan in the side and the opener grabbing it with both hands. Hasan should continue
opening the inning with Salman Butt.
Abdul Razzaq infused that spark in the line-up that looked
missing so far, and his all-round capabilities will go a long way in enhancing
Pakistan's chances in the game. He batted at number three in the order, an experiment
that the Pakistanis may want to give another chance before returning back to
their original plan of having a Shoaib Malik at three. Personally, an
ideal candidate for that slot looks to be Misbah-ul-haq, who, for some reason
looks wasted down the order.
Their bowling looks to be in more stable hands with the axe
to the two injured bowlers, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat. Umar Gul may not
be able to repeat his five-wicket haul any time soon, but if he continues to
get the ball to reverse, it may well be curtains for even stronger opponents
than Ireland. Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal are two of the best spinners
in the business and will look to nail home the advantage by winning the game
by as big a margin as possible in order to reserve the place in the semi-finals.
Ireland, on the other hand, live on hope. They are a reasonably talented bunch,
but haven't performed to their potential against stronger teams. Knowing Pakistan's
penchant to self-destruct, they would hope for something similar to the 2007
World Cup, but will also be cognizant about the fact that Pakistan will be more
prepared this time around.
With both openers, William Porterfield and Jeremy Bray looking a trifle out
of form, it may make more sense for them to shuffle the batting order around
and afford more chances to the O'Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin. Yet, they
would know that they are up against a side which is also famous for fighting
back while having their backs to the wall, a situation they certainly are in
right now!
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