Mahela Jayawardene advises Pakistan on batting first, backs Hasan Ali

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has shed light on Pakistan team ahead of their match against Namibia on Tuesday in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Jayawardene believes that Pakistan, who have won all three games chasing, can challenge themselves by batting first against Namibia and see how well their spinners operate with the dew factor coming into the equation in the second innings.

“This might be a game for them to do that [bat first] and see how well their spinners will cope in those conditions. But, overall, they will be a very confident team going into the rest of the tournament. As a unit they look quite settled,” said Jayawardene while speaking to ESPNcricinfo.

He also brushed aside the notion that pacer Hasan Ali’s form will be a concern for the Babar Azam-led unit.

“I don’t think so because there are other bowlers who are getting the job done. We know the quality of Hasan Ali and he is always going to produce that crucial wicket for them. I don’t think that is a huge concern for Pakistan,” he concluded.

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The right-armer has not been in good form, three wickets at an economy rate of 9.81, with the ball in the event, so far.

Pakistan have raced to three wins in as many games starting with a resounding ten-wicket opening fixture victory over arch-rivals India followed by New Zealand and Afghanistan.

They need another win to qualify for the semi-finals from Group 2 of the Super 12 stage.