ABU DHABI: Pakistan will face Scotland today (Sunday) in their Super 12 clash of T20 World Cup, in what is being considered a practice match as the outcome would not affect the fortunes of either teams in the group.
The Men in Green are the first team to have confirmed their place in the semi-finals with four consecutive wins in the Super 12 stage. Pakistan will remain on top if they win today, while Scotland will be at the bottom, even with a win.
However, a win will ensure Pakistan finish first in Group 2, and take on the second place finisher in Group 1 in the semis. For Scotland, it’s another chance to learn from the best.
Since their win against Bangladesh in their first game of round one, they haven’t been able to challenge the higher ranked sides as consistently as they might have liked in the Super 12 stage.
After showing a good fight against New Zealand, the Scots were swept away by India. However, they are hungry to improve. “Just the conversations following the game versus India have been positive,” said skipper Kyle Coetzer.
“The fact that we’re so disappointed losing the manner in which we did and the opportunities that were created to go and speak to some of the finest players in the world yesterday was a real special moment. The guys have learned more in the last two or three games than they have in probably the last three, four years,” he had said.
Facing the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, would be a similarly “exciting” experience, Coetzer said, adding, “We have to go in there respecting them, but also willing to go and try and take them on, too.”
The teams
Probable XI: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi.
Probable XI: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (captain), Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans/Hamza Tahir, Brad Wheal.
