The Pakistan cricket team has had a challenging time in the recent series, impacting their momentum as they head into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Their five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home ended in a 2-2 draw, with the first match being washed out due to rain. Following this, Pakistan registered a narrow 2-1 series win against Ireland. However, their performance dipped again in a four-match T20I series against England, which they lost 2-0, with two games abandoned due to rain.
Pakistan’s fixtures in the T20 World Cup 2024
Former Indian cricketer and T20 World Cup 2007 winner Robin Uthappa recently appeared as a guest on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel. During the show, Uthappa shared his thoughts on the upcoming T20 World Cup, specifically highlighting a potential upset for Pakistan in the group stage. Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, Canada, Ireland and the United States of America (USA). They will play their first match against co-hosts USA on June 6.
Also READ: Pakistan T20 World Cup 2024 schedule and squad: Date, Match time, Team List & Live Streaming details
Insights on Pakistan’s potential upset
When asked by Ashwin about which team might cause an upset against Pakistan, Uthappa quickly pointed to Ireland. He believed that Ireland can defeat Pakistan, citing Pakistan’s history of inconsistent performances, particularly in ICC tournaments.
“Ireland can potentially cause an upset. Ireland is in the same group as India, Pakistan, Canada, and the USA. So, where is the upset coming from?,” Ashwin asked.
“Pakistan. I was waiting to answer when you asked the question,” Uthappa replied.
Ashwin teased Uthappa by recalling that Ireland last registered a significant win in 2022 when they defeated England, who eventually won the tournament. Despite this, Uthappa remained firm in his belief that Ireland could capitalize on Pakistan’s weaknesses. Uthappa emphasized that Ireland could exploit Pakistan’s well-documented vulnerabilities, such as their inconsistent fielding. He noted that Pakistan has often faced surprising losses in major tournaments, and their fielding lapses could provide Ireland the opening they need to secure an upset victory.
” Last time a team was upset by Ireland, that team went on to win the World Cup. England lost to Ireland in that particular World Cup and they went on to win the World Cup. So are you suggesting anything like that?,” Ashwin said.
“It’s just that Pakistan has been one of those teams where, in a tournament, especially in an ICC tournament, they have always been upset by somebody. There is one of those games. See, their fielding has been particularly iffy at all times. we have seen it in the latest Asia Cup that even happened. I think, across time, in fact, Pakistan’s fielding has been very shady in that sense. So I think, one of those games will happen where they will not turn up. I feel a team like Ireland can certainly upset them,” Uthappa concluded.