T20 World Cup, 1st Semi-final, Pakistan's Predicted XI vs New Zealand: Will Pakistan Tinker With Winning Combination?
T20 World Cup 2022: Shan Masood is the top run-scorer for Pakistan and Shadab Khan is their leading wicket-taker.
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan have made a miraculous entry into the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Their hopes of making it to the last-four stage were all but finished after they lost to India and Zimbabwe in their first two games of the tournament. However, wins in the next two games and South Africa's shock defeat to the Netherlands opened the doors for the side. The side then beat Bangladesh in a virtual quarter-final to set up a semi-final clash with New Zealand.
Here is what we think could be Pakistan's playing XI for the semi-final -
Mohammad Rizwan: The wicketkeeper-batter has failed to live up to the expectations. He has scored 103 runs across five matches with a strike rate of 100.
Babar Azam (captain): The Pakistan captain has been a complete flop so far. He scored only 39 runs across five matches in the Super 12 stage.
Mohammad Nawaz: While not many runs have come off his bat, Nawaz has also failed to pick wickets on a consistent basis. Out of the 5 matches played, he picked only two wickets.
Mohammad Haris: The right-handed batter has duly impressed with his attacking batting in the two matches that he has been a part of. He played a crucial role in providing quick runs to Pakistan at the middle order.
Shan Masood: The left-handed batter started the tournament well by registering scores of 52 not out vs India and 44 vs Zimbabwe, but the later stage of the tournament saw a slump in his form. However, he is Pakistan's highest run-getter in the tournament with 134 runs to his name.
Iftikhar Ahmed: The right-handed batter has scored two half-centuries for Pakistan in the ongoing mega event. It is worth noting that both the fifties have come up against quality teams -- India and South Africa. He is the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan with 114 runs to his credit.
Shadab Khan: The right-arm leg-break bowler plays a pivotal role in the Pakistan team as he not only picks wickets but also plays handy knocks for the side. He is the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with 10 scalps to his name across 5 games.
Mohammad Wasim: The right-arm pacer has picked seven wickets for Pakistan in the tournament with his best figures being 4 for 24 that came in the match against Zimbabwe. He has bowled at an impressive economy of 6.45.
Naseem Shah: The right-arm pacer has failed to account for many wickets. He has only 3 scalps to his name across five games in the Super 12 stage.
Haris Rauf: The right-arm pacer has picked 6 wickets across 5 games and has bowled at an economy of 6.83.
Shaheen Afridi: The left-arm pacer is back in his groove by registering his career-best T20I figures of 4 for 22 in Pakistan's virtual quarter-final match vs Bangladesh. Overall, Shaheen has picked 8 wickets across 5 matches. His economy so far is 6.21.
Pakistan Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
Babar Azam
Shaheen Afridi