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Former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Pakistan have a genuine chance to make a strong impact at the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to be played across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Speaking during a recent squad analysis on his YouTube channel, Ashwin put cricketing logic above rivalry and openly backed Pakistan’s chances, stating that the team possesses the right balance to challenge the top sides in the tournament.
“Some people might not like this, but I’m going to talk about cricket. I feel that Pakistan has a really, really good shot in this World Cup,” Ashwin said.
The former Indian spinner highlighted Pakistan’s top-order combination as their biggest strength, particularly the expected opening partnership of Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub.
He praised Ayub’s aggressive powerplay batting and also pointed to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ability to control the early overs with the ball.
“Their biggest strength is their opening pair. Babar Azam is not opening; it will be Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub,” he said.
“Saim Ayub has been impressive in the powerplay with the bat, and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s economy rate in the powerplay is excellent at 6.5.
“Abrar Ahmed and Nawaz are also strong, Nawaz with his control and Abrar with his novelty factor.”
However, Ashwin also identified a few areas of concern in Pakistan’s setup.
He noted that Babar Azam’s role in the middle order could be a challenge, while the death bowling of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah may need improvement.
He also pointed to Shadab Khan’s dip in all-round form, though he acknowledged the promise of emerging players within the squad.
“Their weakness is Babar Azam coming in at the middle order, and the death bowling from Naseem Shah and Shaheen isn’t very sharp,” Ashwin stated.
“Shadab’s batting and bowling form has dipped, while Usman Tariq brings a novelty factor with a 5.63 economy rate. Khawaja Nafay is striking at 174.”
Despite the concerns, Ashwin stressed that Pakistan remain a well-rounded side capable of competing with the best, especially with underrated contributors in the lineup.
“Overall, Pakistan has strengths and weaknesses, but they do have Salman Ali Agha, who often doesn’t get mentioned,” he concluded.
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