'Pakistan can beat India in the T20 World Cup' - Azhar Mahmood

Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood feels Pakistan is capable of beating India in the T20 World Cup. The arch-rivals will clash in their opening game at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24. Pakistan have a dismal record against India in World Cups and have never tasted victory against the Men in Blue. In T20 World Cups, the teams have crossed swords in five matches, with India winning on all occasions. However, Mahmood is confident that Pakistan can end this losing streak in the upcoming edition.

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“It will be a tough match as India is playing really well and they will have an edge over Pakistan. However, if Pakistan team clicks, I’m sure we can beat India,” he said.

The all-rounder further gave his opinion on the Pakistan squad and felt that Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik should have been included in the squad. Zaman has been a regular in the Pakistan T20I squad and was in some decent form in the build-up to the showpiece event and his omission has left many baffled. Same goes with Malik, who brings in tons of experience to the side.

“In my opinion, Fakhar Zaman should have been in the squad. In the middle-order, Shoaib Malik should have been selected as he has been performing really well in the recent past. He did well in the PSL and leagues around the world. You definitely need experience in this sort of situation,” said Mahmood to Cricket Pakistan.

Mahmood was also not impressed with head coach Misbah ul Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis' decision to step down from their respective roles and questioned the timing of their decision.