Twenty20 cricket is always thrilling. Minor mistakes on the part of any team can hugely benefit its opponents. And it is mostly the game of young guns. The hit-and-run nature of this format demands more than 100 percent strike-rate from the batters.
In this format batsmen don’t have to be technically correct. They just have to be able to hit the ball as hard as possible and score as fast as possible and for as long as possible. But this type of cricket reduces the gap between a technically sound batsman and an ordinary player.
The sixth edition of the Twenty20 World Cup is being played in India and despite security threats, Pakistan team is participating in the tournament.
Skipper Shahid Afridi who led the side in the 2011 World Cup in India has a chance to end his career on a high note.
In the first five World T20s, India (2007), Pakistan (2009), England (2010), West Indies (2012) and Sri Lanka (2014) lifted the trophies .
Pakistan lost the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 championship final to India by just five runs at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2007 when cool Misbah-ul-Haq failed to control his emotions at the end of a dramatic match. He chose a wrong shot when the Green-shirts were just one boundary away from the trophy.
But Pakistan continued their excellent performance in the next edition. Younis Khan and company held their nerves in the 2009 final against Sri Lanka and won by eight wickets at Lord’s, England.
After lifting the Cup the winning captain Younis Khan announced his retirement from this format of the game, following in the footsteps of Imran Khan who chose to leave the field after the 1992 triumph.
In the third edition in West Indies in 2010, Pakistan showed their authority in the shorter version of the game in round matches but unfortunately failed in the semi-final against Australia. England won the title by seven wickets. It was the first ever World Cup wins for the English team in any format.
In the fourth tournament in Sri Lanka in 2012, West Indies surprisingly defended only 137 against hosts Sri Lanka (101) in the final.
The last World Twenty20 was played in 2014 in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka didn’t miss the opportunity and beat India in the final by six wickets.
Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene is on top of the leading run scorers list of World T20 with 1016 runs in 31 matches, averaging 39.07, including one hundred and six fifties. For Pakistan, Kamran Akmal remains the most successful batsman with 524 runs in 30 matches with threee half centuries.
Former New Zealand captain Brandon McCullum’s 123 against Bangladesh in 2012 at Pallekele is the best individual score in the tournament. Opener Ahmed Shahzad scored 111 not out against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2014, the best individual score for Pakistan.
Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga is on top with 38 wickets in 31 appearances at an average of just over 20. Pakistan spin maestro Saeed Ajmal is second with 36 scalps in 23 matches, averaging 16.86.
Sri Lanka’s 260-6 against Kenya in 2007 at Johannesburg is the highest total in WT20 so far. Pakistan’s best score is 191-6, which came against Australia at Gros Islet in 2010.
This will be the first time that Pakistan will nto be among the favourites due to disappointing performance in recent months. They stand seventh in the ICC T20 rankings. India are on top of the table.
Despite the poor form Pakistan are as good as any world-class team if they play as a team and they have proved it so many times.
Bowling is the strength of Pakistan with Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi.
The concern for the Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi is inconsistent batting, especially while chasing. Afridi’s batting performance is also a concern. One believes it’s time for Afridi to take responsibility of batting in middle and lower-middle order. No doubt he is a successful bowler in the shortest version of the game, but spectators also expect and the team needs something in the batting department from him.
If the top order provides good starts and the middle order plays according to their skills Pakistan will have a fair chance to lift the trophy again. Most of the times, Pakistani batsmen get panicky and throw their wickets away on crunch moments.
The match of the tournament, between Pakistan and India, is now to be played in Eden Garden, Kolkata, on March 19. Pakistani team obviously will be under pressure due to security threats from the Indian hardliners.
Unfortunately Pakistan have never beaten India in a World Cup game, either in 50-overs version or in T20 format.
In 50-overs World Cups, India and Pakistan met five times and India won every time -- at Sydney on March 4, 1992, by 43 runs; at Bangalore on March 9, 1996, by 39 runs; at Old Trafford on June 8, 1999, by 47 runs; at Centurion on March 1, 2003, by six wickets and at Mohali on March 30, 2011, by 29 runs.
The first World Twenty20 was played in 2007 in South Africa and the first match between Pakistan and India ended in a tie. A bowl-out took place, which India won 3-0.
The teams met again in the final. Pakistan needed 6 runs off 4 balls with one wicket remaining. Misbah-ul-Haq, on 53, was on strike. He got out on the fourth ball of Joginder Sharma and India won the match.
Pakistani players and fans are desperate to avenge all their World Cup defeats and the Green-shirts can do it if the batting and the fielding provide full support to the bowling.