Pakan at Asia Cup 2022: ‘Crianal Messi’ and a dark horse who hits 150 sixes per day

Pakan, eyeing a third title, begin their Asia Cup campaign on August 28, in a blockbuster encounter against arch-rivals India. The men in green have lifted the Asia Cup title twice — in 2000 ( when they beat Sri Lanka 39 runs ) and 2012 ( when they beat Bangladesh two runs) in the finale.
However, in the previous edition, they had an outing to forget after being eliminated in the second round.But this time around things are quite different for the Babar Azam-led side. Pakan has named its squad for the multi-nation event and it does seem like a well-rounded side with a good mix of match-winning players. Added to that they have a wealth of experience playing in the UAE and have won 17 out of the 28 T20Is played there. However, they do have a few weak links as well but first, let’s take a look at the composition of the side.
Squad make-up:
Batsmen: Babar Azam (Captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Asif AliAllrounders: Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr,Wicketkeeper: Mohammad RizwanBowlers: Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain

Bracing for the new challenge 🏏
Ramping up the preparations for the #AsiaCup2022 👊#BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/FIkYonQvuV
— Pakan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 25, 2022
Opening Salvo
Pakan’s opening combination of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has worked wonders for them in the shortest format and one must not forget that the duo was among the highest run-getters in the 2021 T20 World Cup. While Babar Azam seamlessly scores runs without taking too many risks, Rizwan is the aggressor and scores incredibly quickly against some of the best bowlers in the world. Together this duo has scored more than 1,000 runs in T20 cricket and the pair averages 55.26 in T20I cricket. All five-century partnerships between Babar and Rizwan have come in the year 2021.
Recently, Pakan all-rounder Shadab Khan came up with a flabbergasting introduction of his skipper Babar Azam while visiting the Ajax Football Club in the Netherlands. Referring to Criano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Shadab said that Babar is similar to the duo in the game of cricket. – ‘he’s Crianal Messi of Cricket’, said the leg-spinner.
The Dark Horse
Pakan’s power-hitter, Asif Ali could be the dark horse in this tournament for his side. He recently claimed that he is hitting 100 to 150 sixes every day in order to prepare for the Asia Cup 2022. Ali further added that he never thinks about playing the same shot twice since T20I demands innovation. “I bat in a position where an average of over 10 is required. For that, you need to hit big shots and that requires a lot of practice,” said Asif in an interview with the PCB.

📸📸 pic.twitter.com/J242EEvVyO
— Pakan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 25, 2022
“I usually hit 100-150 sixes daily so that I can hit 4 to 5 in the match,” Asif further shared. So if he gets going then a lot of opposition captains will have some serious headaches.While his average is an uninspiring 17.40 but his strike rate is 133.84. He has also hit 29 sixes in 35 innings. Can he be the standout performer this time?
Cause of Worry
Pakan’s middle order does seem a bit fragile featuring the likes of a young Haider Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan. The over-reliance on the top three of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman and the lack of experience in the middle could leave them shaky in crunch situations. The unfortunate injury to Shaheen Shah Afridi right before the tournament is another massive blow for Pakan. Afridi was a major threat for the Indians, especially after he rocked the Indian top-order, removing Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli in his only T20I appearance against India in last year’s T20 World Cup. Thus the lack of experience could also crop up in the bowling lineup as Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Mohammad Hasnain lead the pace attack.

Pakan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain.