In the latest edition of his exclusive PakPassion blog Sohail Speaks, former Pakistan international and prominent cricket commentator Aamir Sohail discusses Pakistan's chances in the World T20, the strengths and weaknesses of the current side and speaks about who he thinks may win the tournament.

By Sajid Sadiq (14th September, 2012)

Pakistan have been mooted as amongst the favourites in the run-up to the World T20 and their track record in the tournament is the best of any side. Having reached the final in the first edition, they went one better to raise the trophy in 2010 and, barring some Michael Hussey heroics, would have faced England in the 2011 final.    

With the World T20 due to commence next week, Pakistan will be confident after their T20 series victory against Australia in the UAE.   

In the latest edition of his exclusive PakPassion blog Sohail Speaks, former Pakistan international and prominent cricket commentator Aamir Sohail discusses Pakistan's chances in the World T20, the strengths and weaknesses of the current side and speaks about who he thinks may win the tournament.

Experimenting in the Third T20 International Against Australia

I think the idea behind some of the experimentation we saw in the third T20I in Dubai was to ensure that the likes of Abdul Razzaq got a chance to bowl with the new ball like they may do in Sri Lanka where the new ball may seam round. In theory it wasn’t a bad idea to give Abdul Razzaq the new ball, but what I have an issue with is why try this experimentation so close to the World T20 tournament and why try it out on such a flat track.  

Continual Changing of the Batting Order

This is something that I do not understand. There has to be a certain amount of flexibility, but why keep changing the batting order in every match. One match Kamran Akmal bats at number four when you are chasing a modest total of 89, yet when Pakistan is chasing a much larger 169 to win and need quick runs, Kamran Akmal is sent after Shoaib Malik. 

With this Pakistan team, there is a heavy reliance on a good start from the openers and to take things for granted that they will get a good start is a dangerous tactic. It seems that there hasn’t been a lot of thought given to what happens in an adverse situation where a good start is not forthcoming. The third T20I against Australia was a wake up call and the think tank needs to sit down and assign roles to each and every batsman. If this is not done then Pakistan are going to struggle in a crunch match during the world T20. As I say, the third T20I against Australia was a wake up call and if Pakistan do not address this issue of an over reliance on a strong start they may find themselves sleeping in Sri Lanka despite the wake up call.  

Pakistani Batsmen’s Weakness : The Slower Delivery

This is something that I noticed in the one day and T20 series against England in the UAE and has continued to be a major issue for the Pakistani batsmen and it is their weakness and susceptibility to the slower delivery. Most of the Pakistani batsmen tend to “go hard” at the ball and this was exploited very well by the England bowlers and this was the same against Australia in the recently concluded series in UAE. After one or two matches the Australians spotted the weakness and began to exploit it. It’s clearly evident that if you want to stifle the Pakistani batting line up, bowl slower deliveries to them, it’s a major and obvious weakness and the Pakistani batsmen need to come up with an answer to this issue.

Pakistan’s Opening Partnership in T20 Cricket  

The Hafeez/Nasir Jamshed opening partnership is working in one day internationals. I don’t understand why there was a need to change that in the twenty over format. In twenty over cricket you are relying on a good start and therefore it’s imperative that you send in a pairing that you can rely upon and Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed should be that combination.   

Selecting Imran Nazir is a Gamble

If you are picking Imran Nazir in your starting line up, you are gambling. If he comes off and takes on the bowlers, great job, but it’s not very often that he delivers. Some captains will pick Imran and if he fails they will shrug their shoulders and accept that was the gamble taken. The problem is that every time you pitch the ball up to Imran Nazir he struggles. It’s an issue that needs addressing and the captain and coach have a tough decision to make. Are they going to persist with Imran or are they going to drop him, I know what I would do.  

Pakistan’s Bowling Resources in the Twenty Over Format

You simply cannot keep on relying on the spinners all of the time. The teams that will do well in Sri Lanka are the ones with a balanced bowling attack. I’ve read with interest Kumar Sangakkara’s recent interview where he said that the nature of the Sri Lankan wickets that will be used for the world T20 have changed. The wickets in Sri Lanka are now more responsive to the fast bowlers and medium pacers and Pakistan needs to find a better balance to their bowling attack if they are to be effective in Sri Lanka.    

A Defensive Selection in the Seam Bowling Department

In twenty over cricket not only do you need a balanced attack but it’s imperative that you have pace bowlers who can take wickets. If you go into a match with a defensive mindset with seam bowlers like Abdul Razzaq who are there to do a holding job, this policy is fraught with danger. The seam bowlers that you play should have the ability to take wickets and should not be in the starting eleven as a defensive measure. If you go into a match with a defensive mindset it will most definitely backfire particularly in key and high profile matches.

When you give the ball to Abdul Razzaq at this stage of his career you are taking a risk. In 2009 at the World T20 in England he was effective due to the conditions and as he was also 3 years younger. He struggled in the Caribbean and has struggled recently most of the time. Occasionally we may see the Abdul Razzaq of yesteryear but if you think you can rely upon Abdul Razzaq’s bowling on a flat track, you are dreaming. Like Imran Nazir’s batting, Abdul Razzaq’s bowling is a gamble and international cricket should not be about gambling. 

Shoaib Malik Undercooked Ahead of the World T20

The selection process did not have any thinking and the on tour selection committee of late have not planned this very well. If I was the captain or coach and I wanted Malik to be an integral part of my world T20 line up then I would have given Malik a thorough chance to find his form and confidence and to start performing and then have exposed him to the three T20Is in UAE against Australia. However that was not done, they never gave him a “number”, he batted in UAE against Australia without a role or batting position, which can be disturbing for a batsman. I feel that the bigger picture has been ignored here and an opportunity to get a player into form and firing before a major tournament has been missed.         

Pakistan’s Chances at the World T20

On paper Pakistan is a strong team heading into the World T20, but cricket is not played on paper. If the Pakistani big names come to the party, are allocated proper roles in the team, then perform in accordance with their roles then Pakistan can have a chance.

Australia Look Like the Team to Beat

There are several teams who in my opinion can win the world T20. First and foremost Australia, who have quality batsmen and 3 excellent fast bowlers and they have a method to their twenty over game. England cannot be ruled out either, they are defending their title and will not relinquish their title easily. The West Indies are another team who have quality cricketers in their squad and who are ideally suited to the twenty over format. India is another of the teams that have all round strength and will be very difficult to defeat. South Africa is another team that are tremendously strong in all departments, but I think that Australia is the team to beat if the wickets are as predicted by Kumar Sangakkara, in that they will assist the seam bowlers.

Discuss!