
Pakistan enter yet another World Cup with a new coach at the helm (on some days a consultant, on other days a mentor). Irrespective of what tag is flashed next to Wahab Riaz's name, for yet another change in key personnel, the team comes into the tournament with a rare, refreshing clarity of its gameplay. It is evident in the way they have played their cricket in the lead-up and the bold selection calls they've made to make their line-up more aggressive. However, after bossing against Zimbabwe at home, they turned up second best against West Indies and Ireland recently. There wasn't much to cheer in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka either
The new approach may have not given Pakistan the desired results heading into the World Cup, but if they have to improve on their recent World Cup records - Pakistan haven't won more than one match in a T20 World Cup since 2016 - they will have to trust that clarity. For this, much depends on their captain - not just as a player, but also as a leader to ensure that motivation doesn't fizzle out after a few losses. But the big question itself begins with how best is Fatima Sana's batting creds going to be utilised - in a way that is beneficial to the team while also maximising each individual's potential.
Best XI: Muneeba Ali (wk), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Iram Javed, Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Said Iqbal
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