Pakistan National Cricket Team
Pakistan National Cricket Team. Pic Credits; Twitter

India vs Pakistan: Pakistan’s Playing XI vs India For ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan will begin their 2022 T20 World Cup campaign against India on October 23.

Babar Azam’s men lost in the finals of the recent Asia Cup, going down to Sri Lanka by 23 runs. After the disappointment of the 2021 T20 World Cup, where they lost in the semifinals, Pakistan would be hoping to turn things around in 2022 when they travel to Australia. Pakistan begin their campaign against India at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will go on to play four more league games.

The winners of the 2009 World T20(T20I World Cup) also reached the final in 2007, where they lost to India. They have entered the semifinals on three other occasions, including in 2010, 2012 and in 2021.

The last time the two teams met at the 2021 T20I World Cup, Pakistan had beaten India by 10 wickets in their Super 12 match in Dubai to register their first-ever win against their neighbours in World Cups. Babar Azam hit an unbeaten 68, while Mohammad Rizwan smashed an unbeaten 79. Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a terrific spell of 3/31 with three prized scalps of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli.

India vs Pakistan
India vs Pakistan. (Photo: Getty Images)

India vs Pakistan: Pakistan’s Predicted Playing XI vs India For ICC T20 World Cup 2022 

Babar Azam

Babar Azam
Babar Azam (Image Credits: Twitter)

Babar Azam will lead the Pakistan squad in the T20I World Cup 2022. He should be the opener for the team during the tournament. The right-handed batsman is one of the top-ranked batsmen in T20Is (ICC ranking) but didn’t fire in Asia Cup 2022.

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He scored only 68 runs averaging a pathetic 11.33 in 6 T20Is in Asia Cup but came back in the subsequent home series against England where he scored his 2nd ton. He amassed 285 runs in 7 T20Is averaging 57 and also averages 101 in the ongoing tri-series scoring 22 and 79*.

Mohammad Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan (Image Credit: Twitter)

Mohammad Rizwan should be the wicketkeeper and the other opener for Pakistan in T20I World Cup 2022. He was the highest run-getter in Asia Cup 2022 with 281 runs averaging 56.2 in 6 T20Is. He continued his dream run in the subsequent T20Is at home against England- 316 runs in 6 T20Is averaging 63.2 and 82 runs in 2 T20Is so far in the ongoing tri-series averaging 82.

Shan Masood

Shan Masood
Shan Masood. Image: Wikipedia

Shan Masood has scored 187 runs in 9 T20Is averaging 26.71. He debuted in T20Is against England in the recent 7-match series. Both of his 2 fifties came in that series.

The tall left-hander was recalled to the Pakistan T20I side and included in the 2022 T20I World Cup squad after being on the sidelines since early 2021. Shan Masood has played 25 Tests and 5 ODIs but was yet to play a T20I before the England series. While he debuted in Tests in 2013, all of his 5 ODIs came way back in 2019.

Haider Ali

Haider Ali [Image-Getty]
Haider Ali [Image-Getty]
Haider Ali who debuted in T20Is way back in 2020 doesn’t boast a good batting average but can play useful cameos. The only problem in Pakistan’s batting lineup is that the middle-order batters are either out of form or don’t have a good batting average.

Haider Ali will compete with Khushdil Shah for the middle-order spot. He scored useful knocks of 68 and 31 against West Indies in December 2021 but failed to do well against England and in the ongoing New Zealand tri-series after earning a recall.

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Iftikhar Ahmed

Iftikhar Ahmed. Photo- Twitter
Iftikhar Ahmed. Photo- Twitter

Iftikhar Ahmed should be another middle-order batsman for Pakistan in the playing XI. He scored 105 runs in 6 T20Is in Asia Cup 2022 averaging 26.25. He would vie for a spot in the playing XI with Khushdil Shah, who is terribly out of form.

Asif Ali

Asif Ali
Asif Ali. Image-Twitter

Asif Ali will be Pakistan’s big-hitting batter. Although his batting average of 15.12 isn’t great, he has the ability to hit sixes at will. In the Super 4 match against India, he scored a quick 16 off 8 balls before being lbw-ed by Arshdeep Singh in the last over. The pace bowler had earlier dropped a regulation catch in the 18th over. But his missed catch cost India the Super 4 match.

In the previous 2021 T20I World Cup, Asif Ali hit 27* off 12 balls against New Zealand and 25* off 7 balls against Afghanistan. His average was 57 and his strike rate was 237.5.

Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan. (Credits: Twitter)

Shadab Khan should be an all-rounder for Pakistan in the World Cup 2022 squad. He picked 8 scalps in the Asia Cup 2022 playing 5 T20Is averaging 14.13 with career-best figures of 4/8 coming in the match against Hong Kong. He could bat a bit as proved by scoring 36 against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022 match and 34 against New Zealand in the ongoing tri-series. He was the 3rd highest wicket-taker besides Mohammad Nawaz.

Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad Nawaz
Mohammad Nawaz. Credits: Twitter

Mohammad Nawaz was the joint 3rd leading wicket-taker with Shadab Khan in the Asia Cup 2022 for picking 8 scalps in 6 T20Is averaging 13.75 with a best of 3/5. He also scored a vital 20-ball 42 in the Super 4 match against India while batting up the order.

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Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah was in pain during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match.© AFP
Naseem Shah was in pain during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match.© AFP

For Pakistan, teenage pace sensation Naseem Shah made his T20I debut against India in Asia Cup 2022 and impressed everyone with his speed and control. He finished with figures of 4-0-27-2 and accounted for the wickets of KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.

However, towards the end of the innings, Naseem Shah looked like suffering from cramps. Despite that, he was brave enough to continue and left the field after the 18th over against India. He has so far picked 7 scalps in 6 T20Is averaging 25.57. He played only 1 game against England, as he tested positive for COVID-19.

Pakistan’s young pacer Naseem Shah’s condition has improved while the other paceman Mohammad Hasnain is on complete rest, sources said on Sunday morning. The two bowlers were diagnosed with a viral infection and didn’t play in any of the two matches Men in Green have played so far in the ongoing tri-nation series in New Zealand.

Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf Credits: Twitter.

Haris Rauf, the right-arm pacer emerged as the top wicket-taker for Pakistan in the recent T20I series against England with 8 wickets in 6 games. He had also taken 8 scalps in 6 T20Is in Asia Cup 2022 averaging 19.13.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Image Credit: Twitter)

Pakistan had suffered a huge injury blow ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 as their pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi was ruled out of the competition due to a ligament injury in his knee.

Shaheen Shah Afridi will join the national squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 in Brisbane as per schedule on Saturday, 15 October, after undergoing his rehabilitation program under the supervision of the PCB Medical Advisory Committee, PCB confirmed on October 11, 2022.

The PCB also said that the left-arm pacer, who has been out of action since before the Asia Cup 2022 tournament due to a knee injury, will be available for selection for the 17 and 19 October warm-up matches against England and Afghanistan, where the team management will assess his fitness.