Former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed warned the Men in Green should be wary of India's strong pace attack ahead of the much-awaited clash of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 between the two arch-rivals on Sunday, October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MSG).
Javed said that it won’t be easy for the Pakistan batters to steal runs against Indian pacers Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar while opining that Jasprit Bumrah’s absence for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia won't be that big a blow to Team India.
The former pacer believes that Pakistan’s openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will have a tough task countering Bhuvneshwar's swing and Shami's seam in the powerplay at the MCG.
Aaqib Javed said on PakTV: “Shami and Bhuvneshwar are very good seam bowlers. Pakistan's team will face difficulty because it will be tough to score runs against them... Shami is a very good seam bowler when he gets assistance from the pitch and Bhuvneshwar is one of the best in seaming conditions.”
Meanwhile, many consider India’s pace attack a bit weak due to the absence of Bumrah, who was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022 with a back injury, but Javed doesn’t think it will have a huge impact on India’s chances in the tournament, as they have bowlers to succeed in the Australian conditions.
He signed off by saying, “It would have been a much bigger blow had they not been playing in Australia. Bumrah can create stuff on flat pitches with his yorkers, bouncers, and pace variations but in Australian conditions, India has bowlers who can do a good job.”
