Renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle believes that before the ICCWorld Cup 2023, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi will be more critical forPakistan against Captain Babar Azam. Harsha Bhogle stated that Shaheen’sability to take wickets with the new ball sets him apart for Pakistan.
He compared Shaheen Afridi’s importance to Pakistan to that of Babar Azam,stating that when Babar Azam doesn’t take wickets in the first 10 overs,you can see what happens in the Asia Cup.
If Pakistan doesn’t get wickets in the powerplay, they might suddenly facea lot of pressure on their bowling side, similar to South Africa’ssituation with the absence of Dale Steyn. In my opinion, Nasim Shah is abig setback for them.”
He further mentioned, “They need to improve their spinners. I thinkPakistan’s story will depend on whether their openers can perform well andif they can get good bowling from their spinners in the middle overs.”
Harsha Bhogle supported Pakistan’s decision to back Imam-ul-Haq andAbdullah Shafique for the opening position despite Fakhar Zaman’s poorform. He said, “Fakhar Zaman has issues with form, but I genuinely believethey’ve given their best opening combination a chance. Imam has shown goodperformance lately, but they need to figure out how to handle a player likeAbdullah Shafique.”
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He added that if Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq are given consistentopportunities, Babar Azam could become a different player suddenly.However, there’s no doubt that if Pakistan wants to make an impact, BabarAzam needs to perform well in the World Cup.
Harsha Bhogle also had concerns about Pakistan’s middle-order and spinbowling capabilities. He mentioned that their middle-order is slightlyshaky.
