Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels that the Pakistan cricket team has improved a lot in recent times after going through some tough times in world cricket due to their inconsistent performance on the world stage. Babar Azam-led side has done exceedingly well in the white-ball format of the game producing memorable performances in big events.
The Men in Green has been one of the underrated teams in World Cricket over a long period of time but has grown in leaps and bounds in recent times, with them making it into the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup and T20 World Cup in Australia alongside winning the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Aakash Chopra said that the Pakistan team has settled unit in the white-ball format of the game and recalled their inconsistent performance in International cricket with them constantly chopping and changing their team combination alongside frequent changes in the captaincy and reckons that the team is more stable under the leadership of Babar Azam.
“Pakistan is a very settled team. There is not much scope for changes and neither is it required. There was a time when the Pakistan team was very volatile. There were changes almost every day. At one point, there were 10 captains in a team. But that is not the case now.”
“The team looks a lot more stable and consistent. Numbers 1,2 and 3 do not change a lot. They are more or less the same. Their performances have also been good,” Aakash Chopra said.
Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan have provided stability in Pakistan’s batting order, as they were exceptional with the bat for the Men in Green in the ODI format of the game producing some consistent performance in the 50-over format of the game.
Pakistan’s Strength Is That They Have A Very Good Top Three And Their Bowling Is Also Very Good – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels that Pakistan’s strength lies in their top-order batting alongside their fast-bowling unit which consists of the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Hauf, who proved to be a match-winner for their side in the recent times and hailed their vice-captain Shadab Khan as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket.
“Pakistan’s strength is that they have a very good top three and their bowling is also very good. That actually makes up their team. They have three very good fast bowlers – Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah. They are as good as anybody that you’ll get. Shadab is a quality all-rounder, one of the best in Asia,” Aakash Chopra added.
Babar Azam-led side will begin their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against Nepal on Wednesday and they will look to put on a dominating show against Nepal in the group stage on their home soil, which may act as a preparation ground for the team before the high-octane India match.