Pakistan had left Imad Wasim out of the XI for the final T20I on their England tour after a suspected rib injury. He missed Pakistan’s T20 World Cup opener as well, against the USA, but head coach Gary Kirsten has confirmed his availability for the India match.

As someone who can add depth to both the bowling and batting departments, Imad’s return to the XI seems an obvious decision. Yet, there are a few factors that need to be considered.

Focus on pace

The drop-in pitch at New York has hosted only four matches so far, all of them at the ongoing World Cup. Fast bowlers have bowled 115.2 overs across these games, taking 40 wickets at 16.07 while going at 5.57 an over. The spinners, in contrast, have sent down only 27.2 overs (nine wickets at 17.77, economy 5.85).

Pakistan are yet to play here, but India have. In that game, their spinners – Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja – bowled one over each as India rolled over Ireland for 96 in 16 overs. Expect the focus to be on pace again. Everything indicates that the match is set to be a low-scoring affair determined by pace.

If that is the case, Imad’s spin is unlikely to provide additional value to the Pakistan attack. They already have Shadab Khan to bowl four overs of spin and, in case they need more overs, they can summon Iftikhar Ahmed.

Should a batter be replaced?

Imad replacing one of the four fast bowlers also seems unlikely in this potential pace shoot-out. There is merit in playing the extra batter, but Pakistan’s best bet against India – historically the superior team in this rivalry in this format – is attacking India’s top order with pace.

There is precedent. The Pakistan fast bowlers had reduced India to 8-3 in the 2016 Asia Cup, 23-3 in the 2016 T20 World Cup, 6-2 (and 31-3) in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and 31-4 in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Pace has been their best bet against India, and they have little reason to abandon that ploy.

Since Shadab’s batting makes him irreplaceable, the only way Pakistan can pick Imad is by replacing one of their batters. The obvious choice is Azam Khan, who has failed to score in each of his last two T20I innings. After 14 T20Is, his career stands at 88 runs at 8.80.

While Imad for Azam seems an obvious choice, it must be remembered why Azam was picked. His T20 strike rate of 148 makes impressive reading for a nation with a dearth of rapid scorers. Additionally, in all T20 history, only seven batters have scored more runs than Azam at a strike rate better than his 150 while batting at five or six. In the PSL, Azam’s strike rate of 147 is the second-best among Pakistanis with a 1,000-run cut-off.

Imad, on the other hand, strikes at 127 while batting at five and six, Azam’s preferred positions. His T20 strike rate is similar, though it goes up to 135 in T20Is. In the PSL, he scores at 139.

Since Imad’s bowling is likely to go underused, the decision will, thus, depend on whether Pakistan – often criticised for accelerating too late in the innings – want the quicker but inconsistent Azam or the slower but sturdier Imad.

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