Pakistan cricket team had a brilliant white ball leg series against New Zealand. The Babar Azam-led side was quite ruthless in all the 3 facets of the game. Shaheen Afridi rediscovered his mojo and took 6 wickets in 5 matches in T20Is. The left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi took 8 scalps and in 4 matches and showed good control over his line & length.
The management needs to manage the workload of Shaheen Afridi smartly. Babar Azam has been receiving a lot of flak as the batter isn’t scoring quickly which is a concern for the team. PCB’s next assignment is against Sri Lanka tentatively scheduled in June-July 2023 which would start the new WTC 2023-25 cycle
Pakistan Triumph Over New Zealand In The 2023 ODI Series
Pakistan emerged as victorious, in the 2023 ODI series and topped the ODI rankings. It was a 5 series ODI match, and Pakistan secured the trophy by taking the lead of 4-1. Umar Gul was having an interaction with Cricket Pakistan and made a huge statement that Pakistan have got a threatening bowling unit and can win the championship.
“If you talk about our bowling, the pace attack that we had during the New Zealand series should be retained and these are our best bowlers for the World Cup. They are Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Ihsanullah and Mohammad Wasim jr,”
“We have a lot of expectations from the bowlers and if we go there and participate in the World Cup, then the results can be positive and we have a lot of chances on winning the tournament,” he stated.
“The first choice will be the trio pace attack of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf for the mega-event, but if you look at the bench then you need to have the availability of Ihsanullah and Waseem Jr. In my opinion, Ihsanullah and Wasim should be given chances in the Asia Cup,” he added.
Ambiguity Surrounding The ICC World Cup 2023
ICC World Cup is scheduled to take place from 5th October 2023 and India is set to host this year’s World Cup, however, there is still some uncertainty surrounding the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). As BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket In India) has refused the Indian team to travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 which is set to be held in September in Pakistan.
Pakistan has opted for the Hybrid Model saying that India can play its matches in Dubai while other teams can play their games in Pakistan, but both BCCI and ACC (Asian Cricket Council) have refused this proposal. Thus, Pakistan is now retaliating by refusing to play in India for the World Cup and eventually boycotting the ODI World Cup 2023. As of now, there has been no statement from the BCCI regarding Pakistan’s decision.
Moreover, Pakistan still hasn’t provided ICC with the Written Assurance that they will play or not, is a trouble brewing. The recent military takeover is a concern, and the instability of the Pakistan government might make it difficult to hold the Asia Cup.