ICC World Cup 2019: Pakistan’s predicted XI against England - Tactical change expected

Pakistan, after their humiliation at the hands of West Indies, will need to be at their absolute best against England, a side which vindicated their favourites tag after a thumping victory against South Africa.

For Pakistan, the biggest concern will be their batting as it was brutally exposed by West Indies’ short-ball tactic in the previous match. They tried to sort out this issue on the eve of the match under the watchful eyes of batting coach Grant Flower. Against England and their pace battery, Pakistan will have to show more intent, positivity and game-awareness.

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The defeat against West Indies sure was a rude wake-up call, but there is belief in the dressing room and the side needs to regroup and plan better and with more conviction. There is chaos, there are debates, there will be repercussions, and then possibly, there will be a fightback. This is what one has come to associate with Pakistan at ICC events.

“I totally believe in this team -totally. If you see these guys, they were part of Champions Trophy, as well, so they have experience. They’ve played in England, so they have enough experience and motivation to go and win the game for Pakistan. This is World Cup. It won’t be easy for us. It will be a roller coaster, not for us, for all the teams. It’s a big tournament, so as long as we learn from our mistakes and we move on, it’s better for us,” bowling coach Azhar Mahmood said before the match.

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As far as the team is concerned, Asif Ali could be slotted back into the playing XI to bolster the power-hitting quotient. This could also see Imad Wasim being benched.

Here is Pakistan’s predicted XI for the match against England:

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir