‘Think about Fakhar,’ Ashwin urges Pakistan to use ‘Nepal formula’ to beat England in Super 8
Pakistan should be serious about winning the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, and for that to happen, considering former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s advice could come in handy. Taking to his social media handle, Ashwin explained how Pakistan can puncture England’s spin threat to make inroads in the Super 8 and eventually increase its chances of qualifying for the semifinal. After gaining a point from the washout game against New Zealand, Pakistan must use the ‘Nepal formula’ and think about adding Fakhar Zaman to the middle order for this crucial tie against England in Pallekele on Tuesday (Feb 24).
Fakhar Zaman is a match-winner but hasn’t found a place in the XI since the tournament began, with Babar Azam, Usman Khan and captain Salman Ali Agha compiling the middle order. Having failed to replace any of them thus far, this is Fakhar’s golden chance of coming in for just one reason – to diffuse England’s spin threat of Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, all of whom have found success on sub-continent pitches.
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While the English spinners ruined a million Sri Lankan hopes in their previous Super 8 by beating them in a lop-sided contest, with the three picking seven of the 10 fallen wickets combined, they struggled against Nepal in England’s tournament opener. Nepalese batters almost pushed England back against the wall (during the run chase) with their tactical deployment against the spin by using their feet and smashing paddle and reverse sweeps to perfection. Ashwin urges Pakistan to play Zaman, who attacks spinners like no other, against England.
Putting out a wagon wheel of Nepalese batter’s ploy against Rashid on his X post, Ashwin pushed Pakistan to take note of it and pick their best side against England.
“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.
This was Nepal’s success formula 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.🤝,” Ashwin wrote on his X handle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s remaining two matches are against England and Sri Lanka, and for them to guarantee a spot in the final four, they must win these matches; otherwise, they have to rely on their NRR and other results should they lose any one of the two matches.
