Pakistan have several of the world's top T20 players but can the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan pull them all the way to the title, asks SAM MORSHEAD
Coach: Saqlain Mushtaq
A brilliant spin bowler in his day, Saqlain stepped into the head coach role in September last year following the departures of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis.
Pakistan have added local knowledge to their backroom staff by bringing Matthew Hayden, the powerful former Australia opening batsman, onboard in a consultancy role. Another Australian, Shaun Tait, is midway through a 12-month contract as bowling coach.
Captain: Babar Azam
The elegant batsman has led Pakistan in T20 cricket since May 2020, and has been all-format skipper for nearly two years. Having succeeded Sarfaraz Ahmed in the role, Babar has taken charge of 59 T20I matches, winning two thirds of them. Shadab Khan, the allrounder, is his vice-captain and has led his team in three T20Is.
Superstars
Shaheen Shah Afridi: Pakistan's fortunes at this World Cup look likely to hinge on the performances of their sensational seam bowling attack, led by the electric Afridi. Still only 22 years old, the left-arm quick has accumulated more than 200 international wickets across formats and can be absolutely devastating at either end of an innings.
Batsmen will be well aware of his fearsome inswinging yorker - the demolition job of the Indian top order at the last World Cup was a perfect illustration of his discipline and accuracy. If he is fully fit (and the buildup to this tournament has been dominated by news about his recovery from a knee ligament injury in July), he will have a huge bearing on this tournament.
Babar Azam: One of the rare breed of batsmen capable of being destructive without seeming to change anything about the aesthetics of his game, Babar is among the very best in the world in all three of cricket's international formats. With a career average above 43 in T20Is, ODIs and Tests, he has a remarkable ability to transfer his genius into whatever length of innings is in front of him. Never explosive (career T20 strike rate: 128.25), but still capable of breaching the field with a stunning cover or straight drive, he forms one half of the world's leading opening partnership in T20I cricket.
Mohammed Rizwan: The other half of Pakistan's dynamic duo at the top of the order, Rizwan is the No.1-ranked batsman on the ICC T20I list (Babar is third). Since the start of January 2021, Rizwan has racked up 2,147 runs in T20 internationals, nearly 600 more than his nearest rival (Babar, as it happens). He averages above 65 in the format in this time. Oh, and he's among the smartest keepers in the business.
Babar Azam, left, captains Pakistan [Getty Images]
Rising star
Naseem Shah: The whippet doesn't turn 20 until February but he is already establishing himself as a crucial player for Pakistan, and a burgeoning star across the board. After making his first-class debut at 15, he became the youngest bowler to return a Test five-for and a Test hat-trick. It was not immediately evident that he would become so imortant to the white-ball setup, but Shaheen Shah Afridi's injury in July gave him a chance and, having not made a white-ball appearance for his country before August, he is now an integral member of the squad.
Shah's buildup to the World Cup has not been great, he contracted Covid-19 and pneumonia during the seven-match T20 series against England, but he remains a valuable asset to the Pakistanis throughout the innings. Another bowler with a quick yorker, but capable of varying his pace.
BATTING
Power hitter
Asif Ali: Asif showed what he is capable of in the last World Cup, where he bulldozed four sixes in an over to turn Pakistan's clash with Afghanistan on its head. He has struggled recently, though, enduring a miserable Asia Cup - 41 runs at 8.20 - and commentators in Pakistan have been querying his ongoing selection.
Anchor
There is a good argument to say Rizwan and Babar, even when opening together, provide the anchors for a Pakistan side which does not typically attempt to go big until very late in the innings. The pair average over 50 for the first wicket together in T20Is since the start of 2021, with eight century stands and seven further partnerships of 50 or more - one in three times they pass a half-century before being broken. And when one falls, often the other goes deep into an innings.
Finishers
An in-form Asif Ali has the capacity to take bowling apart at the death. In Australia, it's possible Fakhar Zaman could be utilised lower in the order to deal with pace and fulfil this sort of role. Pakistan are not blessed with a huge wealth of batting resource.
Problem areas
As everyone knows, this Pakistan are not generally prone to going for broke with their batting - they stack their lineup with perhaps the best T20 bowling attack of any country on the planet, and back that unit to defend anything around par. For as long as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan fire, that policy has plenty of legs - and it has been firing ridiculously often in recent months.
However, there is an excessive reliance on their top two, and a general confusion in how the middle order is structured. In Australia, that is likely to be Shan Masood at No.3 (though Fakhar Zaman's late callup could change the equation... either with Fakhar directly replacing Masood or with Rizwan dropping to No.3 and the more aggressive Fakhar opening with Babar). Below that, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah are all jostling for position. Can that lineup step up in the event of a rare wobble early in the innings? It could be the margin between glory and gory.
Analysts will point to many of the batting lineup not being natural players of pace and bounce as being potentially prohibitive on Australian wickets.
Pakistan need to be flexible through the middle of the innings, and allow their lineup to be fluid - allowing Shadab and Nawaz to take down the spinners, and leave Asif and Iftikhar to hit pace at the death.
Mohammad Rizwan is rated the world's top T20I batsman [Getty Images]
BOWLING
Speed merchants
Gosh, Pakistan are spoiled for choice.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf are likely to be the principle players in this World Cup, but they are supported by two terrific reserves in the shape of Mohammad Wasim and Mohammad Hasnain.
Find a weakness in that.
Afridi is the force in the powerplay, wiping out top orders with searing pace and ability to target stumps and pads.
Shah, who has manouevred ahead of the likes of Hassan Ali in the selection order, operates throughout the innings.
And Rauf's pace, accuracy and variations at the death provide Pakistan with control towards the end of the innings which could prove so crucial on the fast decks of Australia (Rauf also knows plenty about playing short-format cricket down under, following his Big Bash exertions with Melbourne Stars).
Variation
Shadab Khan is a terrific leg-spinner who has superb control of his art. His career T20I economy rate - a shade over 7 - is a fine reminder of just how good he is. Shadab can turn the ball plenty when surfaces allow, has experience of short-format cricket in Australia (with Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers), and while he only turned 24 at the start of October, he has immense T20 experience with more than 200 career outings.
Nawaz, as a left-armer, will come into his own against right-handers but is unlikely to play a major role against a left-hand-heavy opposition (South Africa are the immediate team that comes to mind). In that situation, Iftikhar Ahmed comes into his own, with the allrounder's off-spin ensuring an option to move the ball away from left-handers.
Usman Qadir dropped out of squad on the eve of the tournament, having struggled to recover from a fractured finger.
Problem areas
It's such a good blend of speed, variety, intelligence and power, that flaws are few. If anything, Pakistan could fall into the trap of trying a little too hard to get as many of their excellent bowlers into their XI, weakening their batting.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is the key member of the attack [Getty Images]
FIELDING
Who takes the gloves?
Rizwan is a reliable gloveman. Asif Ali and Haider Ali can both deputise if necessary.
Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman
Fixtures: Oct 23 - India; Oct 27 - Winner Group B; Oct 30 - Runner-up Group A; Nov 3 - South Africa; Nov 6 - Bangladesh;
Possible starting XI: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood/Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Haider Ali/Mohammed Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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