Pakistan lost a T20I in Ireland and suffered a 2-0 defeat in England this week, not ideal results ahead of a global event.
Earlier in the day, they drew 2-2 at home with New Zealand, who were missing many of their World Cup squad members.
“They don’t have good combinations and that’s their biggest problem,” former captain Rashid Latif said.
He feels Pakistan not only needs to reshuffle their batting lineup but also make better use of their spinners.
Also read: T20 World Cup: Complete squads and captains of all 20 teams
“In addition to shuffling, players also need to be prepared to play in a floating role in T20 cricket depending on the match situation,” he added.
The legendary Javed Miandad is betting on the unpredictable.
“They are unpredictable and they always seem to perform well in the T20 World Cup, but yes, they need to improve rapidly in some areas because in a tournament with 20 teams you can’t afford to let your guard down even for one game,” he said.
Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, speaking at the post-match press conference at the Oval, said it was disappointing to lose the series against England but the World Cup would be a different challenge.
“We have capable, talented players and we will do well in the World Cup,” he said.
Many cricket fans were not happy with the selection or performance of Azam Khan, who was easily dismissed at the Oval and dropped two catches.
Azam, who followed in his father Moin Khan’s footsteps as wicketkeeper-batsman, has been subjected to relentless attack on social media since Thursday.
However, Azam is not the only one who has underwhelmed, with all-rounder Shadab Khan also struggling to score runs, as well as Iftikhar Ahmed, who has been limited to the lower order of the batting order but has failed to make an impact.
The bowlers also continued to struggle, with fast bowler Naseem Shah giving up 25 in his first over during the powerplay at the Oval and Mohammed Amir giving up 28 in his second over.
Some officials at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are worried that if the team fails to reach the World Cup semi-finals, it will take a big hit to the fan base and adversely affect the board’s preparations for next year’s Champions Trophy.
“It is no secret that if the team performs poorly, it will have a major impact on the number of sponsors and broadcasters lining up to invest in Pakistan cricket,” the official said.
“I think Babar should bat at No. 3 and either Saim (Ayub) or Fakhar (Zaman) should open along with Mohammed Rizwan,” suggested former player Basit Ali.
