Asia Cup 2023

‘Especially if they can get that down to say number 8’ – Scott Styris warns Indian bowlers of Pakistan’s batting prowess

The much-awaited Asia Cup 2022 tournament gets underway on August 27 in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tournament will be underway with the inaugural match between hosts Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan. With the marquee tournament just a couple of days away, the teams are looking at possible matchups in the build-up to their opening fixtures.

The Asia Cup will see eternal rivals India and Pakistan colliding against each other. The high-profile clash will take place on the 28th of August at the Dubai International Stadium. Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris has shared his views on the epic battle, reckoning the Men in Blue will have to be cautious of Pakistan’s formidable lower-middle order batters.

The opening pair of Skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been the pillars of Pakistan’s batting lineup. They will be the obvious threats to every opposition. The Babar-Rizwan pair were the chief architects when Pakistan thumped India by 10 wickets when the sides last met in the T20 World Cup last year. But the Kiwi cricketer stated that the Babar-led side is equally threatening in the finishing phases of the innings with some outstanding cricketers in their ranks.

“Oh, 100 percent. Look let’s be clear. You don’t play at this level if you’re not a great player and yes there’s a grey area on what grade it is. But these players are terrific cricketers who all on their day and they’re all young and they’re coming through and some of them are a little bit inexperienced. You’ve got all those varieties to what their game is at the moment,” Scott Styris said speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

The veteran all-rounder stressed the fact that the Indian death bowling department will be less lethal due to Jasprit Bumrah’s unfortunate injury. In the absence of Bumrah who is arguably among the best death bowlers in the world, the other bowlers would feel the pressure, and they be must wary of the Men in Green’s batting lineup which can extend up to number eight.

“So, India with their injuries they’ve got at the top and especially the reliability on Bumrah in terms of the ball then you’re under a bit more pressure with other players with ball in hand. So, I’d be a little wary of this Pakistan closing ability. Especially if they can get that down to say number 8 in their batting order which allows them to continually play with freedom,” he added.