Pakistan have one of the strongest squads in the competition, with several players having ample international experience.
Pakistan are among 12 teams who will participate in the upcoming edition of the Hong Kong Sixes tournament, which will run from November 1 to November 3 in Mong Kok. They were among the first teams to name their seven-man squad for this edition.
They have one of the strongest squads in the competition, with several players having ample international experience. Even those who haven’t played for Pakistan at the highest level have been mostly active in the domestic circuit.
We analyse each player separately and discuss them in detail from the Pakistan squad.
A hard-hitting pace-bowling all-rounder, Faheem Ashraf will lead Pakistan in the tournament. He has played 99 matches for his national side across three formats, scoring 1222 runs at an average of 16.97 with four fifties and taking 87 wickets at 36.50 runs apiece. His T20 experience is vast.
He has featured for his domestic side, international team, and four franchises across T20 leagues. Faheem has 1616 runs at a 17.19 average, including five fifties, in 187 T20 matches. Further, he also has 176 wickets at an average of 27.96, with the help of two four-wicket and a five-wicket haul.
Another pace-bowling all-rounder, Aamer Yamin has been around the domestic circuit for the last 15 years. Aamer has also played four ODIs and two T20Is, scoring 110 runs in four innings, including a fifty. Further, he has also taken four wickets at 47.75 runs apiece.
He has featured in 121 T20s, accumulating 1125 runs at an average of 17.85 and a strike rate of 140.62. Further, he has also snared 102 wickets at an average of 29.98, including a four-wicket haul. He is a hard-hitter of the ball and will enjoy playing in a tournament requiring six-hitting.
Pakistan were prudent with their selection and chose a variety of all-rounders in their squad. Danish Aziz is another all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls left-arm finger spin. He has played four matches for Pakistan across ODIs and T20Is, scoring 49 runs and taking two wickets.
He has been part of four franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and played 63 T20s. Danish has 909 runs at an average of 25.25 and a strike rate of 125.20 in 54 innings, including three fifties. He also has 33 wickets at 26.57 runs apiece in 45 outings, showing he is capable of contributing with both bat and ball.
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Another pace-bowling all-rounder, Hussain Talat has played 19 matches for Pakistan across both white-ball formats – one ODI and 18 T20Is. He has 394 runs at an average of 24.62 and a strike rate of 118.31 in T20Is. He has also taken four wickets with the ball.
Overall, Hussain has played 169 T20 games, scoring 3284 runs at an average of 29.85 and a strike rate of 124.11 in 149 innings. Further, he also has 58 wickets at 27.72 runs apiece, with the best of 3/17. In short, Talat is a utility cricketer and will be more than handy.
Muhammad Akhlaq is the wicketkeeper batter of the team and has played a bit of every format in domestic cricket. Akhlaq has played 29 First Class, 46 List A, and 47 T20 matches. He has done better in longer formats than the shortest one but can score quick runs while being safe behind the sticks.
He has 786 runs at an average of 19.65 and a strike rate of 133.22 in 43 T20 innings, including six fifties. Akhlaq has played for two franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – Islamabad United and Karachi Kings. He was recently involved in the President’s Cup Grade-I, a local List A tournament, where he batted well and made a few big scores.
The most ferocious batter in Pakistan’s squad, Asif Ali is a nonchalant six-hitter, suited for the tournament like Hong Kong Sixes. He has played 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Pakistan. He has scored 959 runs at an average of 18.09 and a strike rate of 128.72, including three fifties.
His T20 experience is huge, for Asif he featured in 289 matches. He has 4599 runs at an average of 22.11 and a strike rate of 146.93, including 14 fifties and a century. He is known for his six-hitting and will have the same task in the upcoming tournament.
Shahab Khan is the most inexperienced player in the side. However, he is the only specialist bowler in the team and bowls left-arm medium pace. He has played only ten T20 matches and hasn’t made his debut in other formats.
Shahab has 25 wickets at an average of 11.64 and a strike rate of 8, including two four-wicket and as many five-wicket hauls. He is a genuine wicket-taker, and his role will remain the same in the upcoming tournament. He must provide consistent breakthroughs.
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