Champions Trophy 2017: 5 challenges Pakistan need to tackle against England in the semi-final

Pakistan’s campaign in ICC tournaments is a roller coaster ride for not only the team’s fans but for the team itself too. Call them unpredictable, volatile or just fickle in their approach to cricket, a tie featuring Pakistan is never too boring and always promises to unfold in drama just when you think nothing can go wrong.

Pakistan, for once, crossed the line – huffing and puffing against Sri Lanka in their last group tie. The win would no doubt give them some confidence going into the semis against one of the best teams in the Champions Trophy so far – England.

For Pakistan to overcome the English challenge, they will first have to put their house in order to have any chance of exploiting the English weakness. As Mohammad Hafeez reiterated before the big game against Sri Lanka, they themselves never know which side will turn up for the game.

In order to make a match of it, Pakistan will need to do several things right and here are some challenges that the team will face in the semifinal face-off with England.

#1 England’s current form

England have been incredibly clinical in the tournament so far. Their squad looks settled and they are the only team in the tournament to have not lost a game till now. Five of their top six batsmen have made half-centuries in the group games with Ben Stokes and Joe Root raking up a century each.

Apart from Jason Roy, the batting order looks settled and up for the Pakistani pace challenge. It will not be easy for Pakistan to rattle the English top order with the kind of form the team is currently enjoying and Buttler along with Ben Stokes at the end could unleash absolute mayhem on the Pakistani bowlers at Cardiff today.

#2 Unpredictable middle order

Pakistan have been heavily reliant on Sarfraz Khan

This is a timeline of the Pakistani middle order before the semifinal clash against Pakistan – 4/71 against India, 4/83 against Sri Lanka and 73 runs in the rain curtailed match against South Africa. With such low scores in the tournament so far, none of the middle order Pakistani batsman has showed gumption except for maybe Sarfraz Khan.

The English line-up with an incredibly powerful pace battery will definitely test this weak middle order and that too in seaming conditions. And if Pakistan are put to bat first in helpful conditions for the English, the semis could end up being just a passage to the finals and not a contest between bat and ball.

#3 Dearth of big match players

Mohammad Hafeez is experienced but has failed with the bat so far

Pakistan has boasted of players of the calibre of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar and Shoaib Akhtar in the past, players who could take the game away from the opposition on any given day without even a memo.

That, however, doesn’t seem to be the case this time around. With Afridi finally retiring and other stalwarts hanging their boots too, the Pakistan team is relatively inexperienced to handle big match situations.

A prime example of that was on display against the Sri Lankans where, if so many catches hadn’t been dropped, the result of the game might have been different. Apart from Mohammad Amir, it’s just a mediocre squad punching above its weight.

#4 Poor fielding

Pakistan’s fielding must improve against England

If there’s one aspect of the game where Pakistan as a cricket playing nation has failed, it’s fielding. Other teams have upgraded their fielding drills and performance on the field drastically but Pakistan still seem to be living in the 90s.

The game today, especially with T20 tournaments being played all around the year, has become pretty fast and that is why fielding has become one of the major aspects of a good squad.

The team currently seems sloppy on the field and that alone could cost them the game against England. If they are to have any chance against the Pommies, the Pakistan team will have to field out of their skins and catch as if their life depended on it, and then, hope for the best.

#5 Home Advantage – England

Morgan and co. have the upper hand as they are at home

Playing against England in England is never easy and this being a semifinal, Pakistan will have one more element stacked against them; the English crowd. England will also know the conditions better, the pitch will behave as they expect it to behave, their fielding positions will be well thought out as they have literally grown up on these grounds, and then they will test the opposition with swing and seam, if there’s any.

The game is not going to be easy for Pakistan but if there’s one thing you can expect when they play, then its drama.