[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Babar Azam ©, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.

Predicting what Pakistan are going to do in any given tournament is the most thankless task going, not least because it so often seems to be a mystery to Pakistan themselves. So I wrote in 2019, shortly before the 2017 Champions Trophy winners crashed out in the group stage of the last World Cup, and Pakistan haven't stopped embracing the chaos since; the head coach position is a revolving door, the PCB play musical chairs on a monthly basis, and what Mickey Arthur's role is at any given time seems a lottery. And yet they were runners-up to England in last year's T20 World Cup and have risen to #1 in the current ODI rankings, because when all's said and done, the men in green are only ever one win away from an impromptu white-ball revival.

The team is pretty settled: Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq open the batting, skipper Babar Azam - the beating heart of the squad - completes the top order alongside Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan slots in nicely as an all-rounder, while the pace attack of Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi are a formidable arsenal. Having begun the summer at Colwyn Bay and then risen meteorically the highest pinnacle of English cricket by playing for Worcestershire, Usama Mir will also go to India as an extra spinner, though whether his leg-breaks and six-hitting will dislodge the established Iftikhar Ahmed or young Salman Agha from their middle-order positions remains to be seen; indeed, if Pakistan have a glaring weak spot, it's the determination to pack the heart of the line-up with men who can bat a bit and rattle through a few overs rather than backing someone who can reliably produce turn, bounce and variations, or simply putting an extra dedicated batsman in. Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz were in iffy form for the Asia Cup, and Pakistan can't trust to pace and fortune for wickets on Indian pitches; though dropped for poor form himself in August, Usama could prove their saviour in the coming six weeks.

The legend of 1992 casts a long shadow over Pakistani one-day cricket, and though they're unlikely on paper to replicate that sole triumph in the backyard of their arch-enemy, with a fairly gentle start to the campaign in batting-friendly Hyderabad, what immortality would await these dark horses should they somehow pull off the heist.

Highest World Cup total: 349 vs Zimbabwe (Kingston, 2007)
Lowest World Cup total: 74 vs England (Adelaide, 1992)
Highest World Cup innings: 160, Imran Nazir vs Zimbabwe (Kingston, 2007)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 6-35, Shaheen Shah Afridi vs Bangladesh (Lord's, 2019)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Javed Miandad, 1,083 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Wasim Akram, 55 wickets


Tournament Schedule: Netherlands, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia