T20 World Cup: Betrayed by bats and beaten by balls

Pakistan opening pair flopped horribly in ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. They failed to live up to the fans' expectations by departing too early in last four matches of the tournament

Arsalan Shehzad

Updated Friday Nov 04 2022

Pakistan’s batting backbone, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who both became the stars of the previous T20 World Cup because of their stellar performances, failed to shine in Australian conditions.

The Pakistan opening pair flopped horribly in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. They failed to live up to the fans' expectations by departing too early in the last four matches of the tournament that too at times when the team required runs of them.

The skipper, ranked among the top batters in the world, scored just 14 runs in four appearances in Australia so far.

He got out for a first-ball duck in Pakistan's last-ball defeat against India in the T20 World Cup opening match.

India´s Arshdeep Singh (C) celebrates the wicket of Pakistan´s Babar Azam during their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 cricket against India at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on October 23, 2022. — AFP

In their next important match, Babar made only four runs as Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat against Zimbabwe in another last-ball thriller.

It is no secret that the T20 World Cup has seen Babar and Rizwan struggle in the power play as they lost their wicket early. The opening duo's struggles have reflected a wider malaise among the Pakistani batsmen at the World Cup. The strike rates of Babar (128.66) and Rizwan (127.05) are below par. Rizwan has scored 71 runs with an average of 17.75 at a strike rate of 100.

Former players and cricket experts have raised many questions about Babar's batting approach and captaincy after the failure against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan´s captain Babar Azam plays a shot during their T20 World Cup 2022 cricket match against Zimbabwe in Perth on October 27, 2022. — AFP/File

After the skipper's failures, the middle-order has taken responsibility. Iftikhar Ahmed is the leading run-scorer from Pakistan's side.

He has played some special knocks to prove his selection right. Iftikhar produced a few remarkable innings to impress Pakistan fans.

His contributions against India and South Africa in the match were the best of his T20I career. He has scored 113 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 134.52.

Pakistan´s Muhammad Rizwan talks to Babar Azam between the over during the ICC men´s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 match against the Netherlands at the Perth Stadium on October 30, 2022. AFP

Shan Masood's contribution against India was also notable; he scored 110 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 107.84.

Suryakumar dethrones Rizwan

After Rizwan’s T20 World Cup batting failure, he lost his top spot in the T20I batting ranking as the explosive Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav surpassed him. Suryakumar played some aggressive innings in their crucial matches in Super 12 to improve his ranking.

India´s Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during their ICC men´s Twenty20 World Cup match against South Africa at the Perth Stadium on October 30, 2022. AFP

Suryakumar has scored 164 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 180.21. Surya is known for his ruthless hitting. He played vital innings against the Netherlands and South Africa.

Virat Kohli's "The master class"

In Super 12 four vital matches, Virat Kohli showed his class as he greatly managed the middle-order pressure and performed responsibly after the top order departed early.

Kohli played a memorable unbeaten knock against Pakistan. Kohli's comeback is alarming for other teams in this tournament.

Kohli is the leading run scorer in the ongoing T20 World Cup as he has scored 220 runs till now, with an average of 220.00 at a strike rate of 144.73.

India´s Virat Kohli celebrates reaching his half-century during their Twenty20 World Cup match against India at Adelaide Oval here on Wednesday. — AFP/File

Kohli has surpassed ICC Hall of Famer Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardena as the most prolific run-scorer in ICC Men's T20 World Cup history. He edged past Jayawardena's 1016 in 23 innings, eight innings quicker than the Sri Lankan, at an average of over 85 and a strike rate of 131.

Can Pakistan still qualify for semis?

The hopes of a Pakistan appearance in the semi-finals will rely on other upset results. Should the Netherlands or Zimbabwe register a win over South Africa or India, respectively, Pakistan will be in with a chance, but they will have to win their game against Bangladesh.

If the Netherlands manage to beat the Proteas, a win over Bangladesh will see Pakistan leapfrog South Africa to six points while Bavuma's men will remain on five. If Zimbabwe defeat India, Pakistan will be level on points with India. As both teams will have the same number of wins, the deciding factor will be the net run rate — Pakistan (+1.117) currently hold an edge over India (+0.730).

If fortune favours Pakistan, they could even top Group 2, something that's extremely unlikely after losing their opening two matches to India and Zimbabwe. But as things stand, both India and South Africa have their fates in their own hands. To claim a place in the semis, they will have to trounce their contenders in both matches.

Remaining Group 2 Fixtures

6 November: South Africa v Netherlands, Adelaide Oval

6 November: Pakistan v Bangladesh, Adelaide Oval

6 November: Zimbabwe v India, MCG, Melbourne