T20 World Cup 2021: 5 reasons why Pakistan has an edge over Afghanistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan will go head-to-head in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday night. It will be Pakistan’s third match of the tournament, while Afghanistan will play its second game.

Both teams are unbeaten in the T20 World Cup, but one team will likely face their first defeat on Friday night. Afghanistan picked up a massive victory over Scotland in their first match of the T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets before taking down New Zealand in a very close contest. Afghanistan has the firepower to put a big score on the board, while Pakistan has a balanced side that can adjust to different situations.

The match between the two teams will determine whether Pakistan will easily make it to the semi-finals or need a few more big wins. With that in mind, take a look at five reasons why Pakistan has an edge over Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup group match.

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#5. Babar Azam has found the balance in his captaincy for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021

Some Pakistani fans were a little skeptical about Babar Azam’s captaincy for the T20 World Cup 2021. Babar has become one of the finest batsmen in the world in all three formats of the game. But his captaincy has come under question during crunch situations.

He made a few questionable decisions during Pakistan’s match against India that allowed the Men in Blue to make some extra runs. However, it looks like Babar has learned from his mistakes pretty quickly.

During the match against New Zealand, Babar was much more active and knew exactly what to do during the first innings. The fielding formations were much better, and he did well to juggle his bowlers throughout the inning.

The Pakistan captain brought in Mohammad Hafeez at the perfect time to remove left-hander Jimmy Neesham. He saved the right amount of overs to have Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf control the Kiwis at the death.

When Pakistan came out to bat, things did not go too well. He did well to protect Asif Ali when the spinners were on and sent him when the pacers came back to bowl. That was one of the wisest decisions Babar made during the match. It was one of the reasons why Pakistan won against the Black Caps.

The T20 World Cup will provide Babar with a lot more opportunities to grow as a captain. He seems much more prepared from the assignment now than he was during the first match. Afghanistan will have to deal with a much more focused and prepared Babar Azam on Friday night.

#4. Pakistan has a great variety of bowlers in the T20 World Cup 2021

Pakistan’s bowling lineup has usually fired in T20 World Cup events. Even though the Green Shirts have a highly unpredictable batting lineup, the bowlers have usually held their own in big tournaments.

Similarly, this year Pakistan has a wide variety of bowlers at its disposal in the T20 World Cup. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are the two right-arm pacers who have already played in the tournament. Meanwhile newcomer Shahnawaz Dhani is waiting on the sidelines.

Shaheen Afridi is the ace left-arm pacer for Pakistan in this year’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik are the four spinners that makeup Pakistan’s spin department. The Men in Green have a great variety of bowlers at their disposal.

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#3. Pakistan has the better record on paper as compared to Afghanistan

Records have always mattered during big tournaments like the T20 World Cup. Pakistan and Afghanistan will battle it out at the Dubai Cricket Stadium, a venue both teams are very familiar with.

Pakistan has played 26 T20Is in Dubai and won 15 of those matches. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has played seven matches and won six of those contests. However, Afghanistan’s victories have mostly come against associate teams.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have gone head-to-head only once. The Men in Green defeated the Afghans by six wickets by chasing down the target on the second last delivery.

#2. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have been on fire in the T20 World Cup 2021

Shaheen Afridi ripped through India in Pakistan’s first match of the T20 World Cup 2021. Haris Rauf played a side role during the contest but did not get much recognition for his work with the ball.

Rauf took things personally and decided to shine out during Pakistan’s match against New Zealand. He bowled with pace and precision to set up the Kiwi batsmen and then bowled them over with some slower balls.

Both bowlers are in top form at this T20 World Cup and will hold the key if Pakistan wins the toss and decides to bowl first again.

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#1. Pakistan’s batting line-up is finding form in the T20 World Cup 2021

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign kicked off on a high. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dominated India’s bowling to win the first match with 10 wickets in hand.

Things didn’t go as smoothly when the Green Shirts ran into New Zealand. Rizwan put on a decent defense but Pakistan lost too many wickets in the middle overs.

Thankfully, Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali stepped up to help Pakistan chase down the modest total posted by the Kiwis. Pakistan’s batting slump helped the lower-middle order show that they are very well capable of performing under pressure situations.

Tuesday's partial collapse could be seen as a blessing in disguise as a few under-pressure batsmen got a chance to hit form when it mattered the most. Afghanistan will have a few more batsmen to worry about on Friday evening other than Babar and Rizwan.