Last Update on: October 3rd, 2023 at 02:54 pm
Former New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris has shared his views on Pakistan’s prospects in the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. The highly-anticipated World Cup is scheduled to get underway this week.
Reigning champions England will lock horns against New Zealand in the tournament-opener on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Pakistan, on the other hand, will open their campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
The Men in Green are one of the strong contenders for the World Cup title. They were recently the top-ranked ODI side in the world and have a strong squad for the competition. Pakistan are eyeing their second World Cup title and first since winning their maiden title way back in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan.
Scott Styris on Pakistan’s prospects:
With the ODI World Cup all set to begin, Scott Styris opened up on Pakistan’s chances. During a discussion on Sky Sports NZ, the former allrounder began by stating that Naseem Shah’s absence will be huge blow for Pakistan. Naseem was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup last month.
He further highlighted that Pakistan is over reliant on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in batting. Scott Styris stated that Pakistan will need their middle-order batsmen to fire if they are to win the coveted title. He also opined that the middle-order is Pakistan’s weakness.
“The loss of Naseem Shah will be bigger than a lot of people think. Naseem’s Shah’s absence weaken them a lot. Their batting is just a too much relied on Babar Azam along with Mohammad Rizwan. Fakhar Zaman is a little hit and miss,” said Scott Styris.
If they are to win, they will need some good performances from their number 4, 5 and 6 in the batting order and that is where I think their weakness is. They are going to rely heavily on their bowlers and Babar Azam,” he added.
Pakistan will be playing their league games in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. If they make it to the semifinal, the match will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata irrespective of where they finish in the points table.
Pakistan’s schedule for ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6: Pakistan v Netherlands, Hyderabad, 2 pm
October 10: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Hyderabad, 2 pm
October 14: Pakistan v India, Ahmedabad, 2 pm
October 20: Pakistan v Australia, Bengaluru, 2 pm
October 23: Pakistan v Afghanistan, Chennai, 2 pm
October 27: Pakistan v South Africa, Chennai, 2 pm
October 31: Pakistan v Bangladesh, Kolkata, 2 pm
November 4: Pakistan v New Zealand, Bengaluru, 10:30 am
November 11: Pakistan v England, Kolkata, 2 pm
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
