T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8: Ashwin backs THIS star as Pakistan prepare for must-win clash vs England
Ravichandran Ashwin urges Pakistan to include Fakhar Zaman in the middle order for their must-win T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash vs England.
Written by Srijal Upadhyay
Published: Feb 24, 2026, 03:05 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 24, 2026, 03:05 PM (IST)
Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan is getting ready for a crucial Super 8 match against England in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday at Pallekele International Stadium. Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Pakistan should bring in experienced batter Fakhar Zaman to strengthen their middle order for this big game.
Fakhar Zaman has not played even one match in this tournament so far. His last games for Pakistan were in the home series against Australia, where the 35-year-old scored only 20 runs in two matches.
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Why Ashwin wants Fakhar in XI
“If Pakistan are serious about this World Cup campaign, they need to think about giving Fakhar Zaman a go in the middle order. He can sweep and use his feet against Rashid and Dawson to inflict some serious damage through the middle overs,” Ashwin wrote on X.
Learn from Nepal’s success against England spinners
Ashwin also pointed to how Nepal batters handled England’s spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson in the group stage. Nepal scored 42 runs in just three overs against Rashid.
“This was Nepal’s success formulae against Rashid, and there are some key learning’s that the other teams can try to imbibe. Access the square boundaries to earn balls in the step hit zone,” he explained while sharing the photo of Nepal’s wagon wheel against Adil Rashid.
Fakhar Zaman has played 118 T20Is and scored 2385 runs at an average of 23.38. He has also hit 13 half-centuries in the shortest format.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026: Will rain play spoilsport in England vs Pakistan Super 8 clash at Pallekele?
Pakistan’s semi-final equation for must-win match
Rain washed out Pakistan’s first Super 8 match against New Zealand, awarding them one point without any play. Now, the match against England is a must-win for them.
If Pakistan loses to England, their path to the semi-finals will become very tough. They will then depend on other teams results to qualify. Winning this game and the next one against Sri Lanka is essential for Salman Agha’s team to reach the semi-finals on their own.
Ashwin’s suggestion comes at the right time for Pakistan. Adding Fakhar Zaman could give them the extra firepower they need against England’s strong spin attack.
Pakistan predicted playing XI
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq
Pakistan’s 15 member squad:
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Naseem Shah
For all latest updates of T20 World Cup 2026 you can visit: https://www.cricketcountry.com/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026/
