PAK vs SA World Cup 2023: Following three consecutive losses, Pakistan now have their next fixture against South Africa at MA Chidambaram Stadium Chennai on 27th October. There are a lot of issues that the Babar Azam-led Pakistan Team is suffering through and current form is one of them. In this post, we discuss three changes that Pakistan might make for the next match against South Africa.
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Pakistan won the first two matches with ease and they looked like a promising team for at least semis but things turned south when they met India on 14 October. Pakistan look no longer the same Pakistan as they were before 14 October.
If you look at the batting, Abdullah Shafique has been the root of the team in the past few games. He not only has runs under his belt but has also been showing good technique and class. His opening partner Imam has been the exact opposite of it. Being an experienced player at the top, the team needs more of his contribution.
Babar Azam has been decent but not up to his standards. Many doubt his captaincy skills but he has been one of the most successful captains for Pakistan for the past few years. Following him is Rizwan and arguably he is the best and most reliable batsman in the current Pakistan Squad.
Team management has put belief in Saud Shakeel but to be very honest, he too is not up to the mark. Ifthikar has been doing his work nicely but he is not a great fielder. Shadab Khan also needs to give more on the ground. He is a good spinner of the ball and on Indian pitches, he should have been the most effective Pakistani Bowler but he isn’t.
Usama Mir got a few chances but couldn’t squeeze the maximum out of them. He dropped catches and seemed sluggish on the field and also he is not that effective in the middle. Haris Rauf is taking wickets but he is also being too expensive. Shaheen and Hasan are decent at their jobs.
This was an overview analysis of the team and clearly, there are some loopholes that need to be covered. Down below are the three changes that Pakistan might make for the next match against South Africa:
PAK vs SA: Three Changes For Pakistan vs South Africa
1- Fakhar Zaman To Replace Imam-Ul-Haq
Imam has been out of runs for quite some time and the team might look for other options now. However, Fakhar was also out of form when the team left him out but Pakistan need to find the winning combination and winning formula back.
Fakhar Zaman is the only Pakistani who has a double hundred in ODIs under his belt and his strike rate is way better than that of Imam. And the good news for the management is that he is fully fit now.
2- Agha Salman To Replace Saud Shakeel
Agha Salman has represented Pakistan in a total of 16 innings where he has amassed 436 runs at an average of ~40 comparable to Saud Shakeel’s 29 in 11 matches. His Strike rate is also better than Saud so there are definitely chances that team management would look for this shuttle change.
3- Mohammad Nawaz to Replace Usama Mir
Usama Mir was added to the playing 11 to strengthen the spin bowling attack but Nawaz was also putting forward what he is delivering. Additionally, Nawaz is an allrounder so his inclusion means more depth in the batting line-up.
READ: ICC World Cup 2023 Points Table Updated (October 24)
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