Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels that the Pakistan team will face a tough fight from India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The mega-clash between the arch-rivals will take place on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
India had a remarkable unbeaten record of 12-0 against Pakistan in the World Cups. However, last year, Pakistan defeated the inaugural T20 World Cup champions at the 2021 T20 World Cup to break the streak. The Babar Azam-led team won the match by 10 wickets chasing 152 runs in Dubai. This year too, the World Cup between the arch-rivals is expected to be a high-octane match.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has expressed that the Indian team should be careful with their team selection against Pakistan. He also expects them to give a tough fight to the arch-rivals. In an interaction with Harbhajan Singh for Sportskeeda, Shoaib said,
“India cannot go about and select a random team against Pakistan without defining their roles. I think the management should select the team carefully and I fully believe it will be a solid team. It won’t be a walkover for Pakistan this time around.”
“If India pick the right squad for the tournament, then they have a very good chance of beating Pakistan. They are absolutely even teams at the moment, so it is very difficult to predict a result,” he added.
Super 12 groups #T20WorldCup 2022
Group 1 – England, New Zealand, Australia, Afghanistan + 2 first round teams
Group 2 – India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh + 2 first round teams #CricketTwitter
— CricFit (@CricFit) January 21, 2022
Pressure will be on Pakistan: Shoaib Akhtar on India vs Pakistan 2022 T20 World Cup clash
Shoaib Akhtar further expressed that Pakistan should consider bowling second against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He reckons that the pressure will be on Pakistan as the crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will mostly be filled with Indian supporters.
“The wicket at the MCG plays quite well. Bowling second would be ideal for Pakistan to win the match against India. There will be a crowd of 100,000, out of which 70,000 will be supporting India so, the pressure will be on Pakistan,” said Shoaib Akhtar.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 edition will begin on October 16 with the first round, followed by the Super 12 stage starting on October 22. The finals will be played on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
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