T20 World Cup | PAK vs SCO: As Pakistan target spotless Super 12, Scots would look to bow out on a high
The Pakistani team which has played phenomenally well in this tournament so far would be looking to go one better and finish the Super 12 stage and march into the semi-final with a win and remain unbeaten in the tournament. They have an easy outlet to achieve that as well as they face Scotland, the only team in the group that has not won any game so far. Scotland and Kyle Coetzer will on the other end look to finish the campaign on a high and nothing could be better than a win. But considering that the game would be played in Sharjah, a win would be a very far fetched result for the Scots. What's at stake? For Pakistan, it is much more about pride, about getting to the semis remaining unbeaten and proving to their opposition, which would most likely be Australia, that they mean business and are not to be taken lightly whatsoever. On the other hand, for Scots, everything is at stake. It’s not about just winning, but also proving to themselves that they can compete at the highest level too. It has been just one game against New Zealand where they were able to showcase their full potential. It would also be a challenge for them to play against spin and no better place than Sharjah to test themselves. They have folded very quickly against the spin of Afghanistan and India and hence showcasing some fight here would mean a lot to them. What needs to change? For Pakistan, they would like Mohammad Hafeez to get back in form before the big match in the semi-final. Also, Hasan Ali is someone that has been wayward throughout the tournament but has remained in the playing XI as the team did not want to change the winning combination. If he could come back to form then the green brigade would be firing all cylinders before the semi-finals. For Scotland, they need to change their approach towards batting and not go all bonkers even when the wickets are falling. Experienced players like Richie Berrington, skipper Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey need to stick together and play the 20 overs with confidence while the late order hitters in Michael Leask and Chris Greaves need to come to the party. Pakistan vs Scotland: Match Details Match Number - 41 Date and Time: November 07, 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 06:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch at Sharjah would be shiny in terms of looks like it has been for quite a while now, but it would act as a facade as the wicket would be low and slow as usual and anything above the range of 150 would be hard to chase on that wicket. Weather Forecast The temperature at the stadium will fall from 29-degree Celsius at 06:00 pm to 25-degree Celsius by 10:00 pm and similarly, the humidity will increase from 41% to 53%. A light breeze is expected and there are very limited chances of precipitation as well, which is a very rare phenomenon in Sharjah. But since there would definitely be some dew, any team winning the toss would look to field first even though chasing has been a troublesome task on this wicket. Team News Pakistan The Pakistani team would not be looking to make any change as it has been evident in their last game against Namibia that they want to play with the same xi and keep doing the same stuff before going to the next stage. Probable XI Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi Scotland The only change that Scotland could afford is bringing back Josh Davey in the XI as the rest of the players are their mainstay anyways. Probable XI George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Alasdair Evans, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal CE XI Fantasy team Wicketkeepers Mohammad Rizwan Batters George Munsey, Richie Berrington, Babar Azam, Asif Ali All-rounders Michael Leask, Shadab Khan Bowlers Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi Vice-Captain Shaheen Afridi Captain Babar Azam