Scott Styris makes bold prediction on India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash

India and Pakistan will renew their rivalry in Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, August 28. Both teams would be hoping to write a new chapter in this blockbuster on-field clash. The Men in Green would be oozing with confidence, having registered an emphatic 10-wicket win over their arch-rivals at the same venue last October.

Ahead of the high-octane clash, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Giving further clarification on the same, he said that Pakistan are too over-dependent on their top-order skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, whereas the Men in Blue have been playing an outstanding brand of cricket ever since they lost their first two group fixtures in the last year’s T20 World Cup.

Scott Styris on India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 encounter

“They rely so heavily on this man here, Mohammad Rizwan, along with Babar Azam, because if they get them off to a start, there’s a lot of power hitting to come. So, therefore, they will look to provide the base and then Fakhar Zaman of this world with all that power and that left-handed sort of variety as well. I think coming in and maybe looking to attack the spinners, in particular, I think could work in Pakistan’s favour”, said Styris while speaking on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP.’

“Well, as we know, India has a very strong T20 league as well. I think it’s the ability to come together and play the style and brand of cricket that best suits your players. I thought that was the big trick that India missed at the last T20 World Cup, as it took them about two games. The two losses they had before they just started to go after the opposition, impose themselves with the talent and skill that they’ve got. I want to see India do that in this Asia Cup”, he added.

Both teams will miss their pace spearheads, Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi. While Bumrah has been ruled out due to a back injury, Shaheen will be out of action due to a knee injury. The momentum is in India’s favour as they have won all the bilateral T20I series both home and away in 2022 while Pakistan lost the solitary T20I encounter that they played this year at home against the reigning T20 world champions Australia.