The World Cup 2023 will kick off on October 5, 2023, and seven days before the start of the tournament, the Pakistan cricket team has arrived in Hyderabad, India to participate in the competition. Pakistan have toured India for the first time in seven years and at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, they received a warm welcome from avid cricket supporters.
Last month, Pakistan became the number one One-Day International (ODI) team in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings but following their dismal performance in the Asia Cup 2023, their arch-rivals India superseded them. In the World Cup 2023, the Men in Green will be looking forward to answering their critics with their performance.
Pakistan have never won the World Cup trophy again after the 1992 edition but this time, they’ve got the opportunity to take advantage of familiar conditions and win another trophy after 31 years. The Men in Green will begin their tournament on October 6 against the Netherlands. Ahead of the competition, let’s have a look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Pakistan cricket team.
Here is the SWOT analysis of the Pakistan cricket team
Strengths
Extraordinary pace attack
Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali. (Photo Source: Getty Images)
Pakistan have some exceptional pacers who have the potential to rattle batters with their extraordinary fast-bowling talent. Their pace attack consists of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Usama Mir. Shaheen, who will play his second World Cup edition, will spearhead the attack.
Shaheen has appeared in 44 matches in his five-year ODI career and the speedster has picked up 86 wickets at an economy of 5.45. The 23-year-old uses his blazing speed and variations as weapons to trouble batters. This year, he has taken 24 wickets in 12 ODIs at an economy of 5.30. As a leader of the bowling attack, he will look to do better in the upcoming World Cup.
Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali will be expected to provide support to Shaheen in the tournament. The speedster Rauf, has done an impressive job with the ball, this year. He has grabbed 24 wickets in 13 ODIs at an economy of 5.53. In the Asia Cup 2023, Rauf took nine wickets in four matches at an economy of 4.80 and his endeavours will be to continue his fine work in the World Cup 2023.
Hasan Ali is also included in Pakistan’s 15-member World Cup 2023 squad. The speedster played his last ODI match against the West Indies in June 2022 in Multan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shown faith in Hasan due to his experience and decent record in the format. Hasan is the most experienced bowler in the Pakistan team that has toured India for the World Cup 2023.
The paceman has bagged 91 wickets in 60 ODIs at an economy of 5.75. He played an instrumental role in Pakistan’s success in the Champions Trophy 2017, scalping 13 wickets in five matches. With these numbers, he ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the competition and also became the recipient of the Player of the Tournament award.
Hasan will not just add experience to Pakistan’s pace attack but also add variety. Unlike Shaheen and Haris, the 29-year-old isn’t known for clocking over 140 km/h consistently but he can also create problems for batters with his variations. Pakistan missed the services of a brilliant seamer in the Asia Cup 2023 and Hasan will fill that space in the World Cup 2023.
Also Read: Most runs in ODI World Cup 2023
Weaknesses
Inconsistent and out-of-form batters
Babar Azam Wicket. (Photo Source: ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan’s weaknesses came out in the open in the Asia Cup 2023. Their batters who looked in great touch before the continental tournament failed against big teams such as India and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023. Babar Azam, the skipper of the team, also failed to showcase his mettle against big teams.
Following the 151-run knock against Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Babar struggled to be among the runs. As a captain, his responsibility was to be effective with his bat and set a perfect example for his teammates as well. Along with Babar, another top-order batter Fakhar Zaman also looked horrendous with his bat in the Asia Cup 2023.
Showing up in five contests of the continental tournament, the Pakistan opener couldn’t deliver anything solid to the side. The left-handed batter scored only 65 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 58.03 and invited criticism for his poor batting display. Agha Salman has also failed to justify his role with the bat recently while serving the team in the middle order.
Feeble spin-department
Shadab Khan vs India. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan’s weak spin-bowling unit might hurt their plans to clinch the World Cup as Indian tracks are known for assisting turners and in the upcoming tournament, the same is expected to happen. Shadab Khan, who will spearhead Pakistan’s spin-bowling unit, hasn’t looked in good rhythm recently.
The leg-break bowler has played 11 ODIs, this year, in which he got only 13 wickets at an economy of 5.54. Spinners such as Kuldeep Yadav and Dunith Wellalage looked tremendous in the Asia Cup 2023 while Shadab looked average with the ball, claiming only six wickets in five ODIs at an economy of 5.88.
Also Read: Most wickets in ODI World Cup 2023
Opportunities
Pakistan have a golden opportunity to showcase their mettle in the upcoming tournament and clinch the coveted World Cup trophy after 30 years. As the marquee ODI tournament will be played in India, the 1992 champions will be delighted as conditions will be almost similar to that of Pakistan.
Babar Azam and his men will look to take advantage of familiar conditions to get results in their favour. Pakistan’s ODI record is also decent in India as they have played 45 ODIs in the sub-continent nation and have emerged victorious in 26. These numbers and facts will embolden Pakistan to do well in the humongous ODI competition coming ahead.
Threats
Unpredictability tag
Pakistan’s biggest threat in the upcoming World Cup is its team itself. Their inconsistent performance always makes them an unpredictable side in massive competitions. Their shaky campaign in the 2022 T20 World Cup is a huge precedent. In the previous instalment of the T20 World Cup in Australia, the Green Brigade lost to Zimbabwe in the group match and found themselves on the brink of getting knocked out of the competition.
Inexperienced squad
In Pakistan’s 15-member squad, nine players will make their World Cup debut in the upcoming event. Players such as Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Mohammad Wasim, and Usama Mir are not just inexperienced but have failed to do wonders as well in their recent matches. In the electrifying environment of India, it won’t be easy for this rookie Pakistan team to handle pressure.