Even the top teams in major competitions often find Pakistan to be formidable opponents, but with a drastic makeover in recent months, they may have a difficult time winning a Twenty20 World Cup for the first time since their lone victory in 2009.
Babar Azam resigned as captain of all formats following an unimpressive showing at the 50-overs World Cup in India last year, where the squad lost five of their nine games and could not advance to the tournament’s knockout rounds.
After Pakistan was humiliated 4-1 in New Zealand in January under pacer Shaheen Afridi’s leadership, captain Babar took charge of the white-ball team once more. He guided them to a nerve-wracking 2-2 draw at home.
I have always regarded Shaheen’s opinion as a captain, and I will continue to confer with him before making crucial decisions in the future. Babar remarked, “We have to capitalize on his strategic grasp of the game.
“Our joint aim is to make this team the best in the world.”
Following a crushing loss to Ireland, Pakistan won the first two games of their four-match series in Dublin, but lost the second match against T20 champions England, who were led for the first time by new coach Gary Kirsten.
Amidst the World Cup in the West Indies from June 1–29, Kirsten was one of the prominent additions to the Pakistani team, alongside the hiring of Simon Helmot and David Reid as fielding coach and mental performance coach, respectively.
