Which Pakistan bowler will get the prized scalp of David Warner?

Former Pakistan captain, and now a renowned commentator, Ramiz Raja has said that leg-spinner Shadab Khan is the most likely Men in Green bowler to take the wicket of Aussie opener David Warner, during the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup match in Taunton.

Raja also warned Pakistan that Warner will be keen on make an impact, bearing in mind his uncharacteristic half-century in previous game against Australia.

“I think Shadab Khan is the ideal candidate to get Warner out because of his googly,” said Ramiz in a video on his official YouTube channel. “He played quite an insipid innings against India and will be keen to make up for it in match against Pakistan.”

 He also had a word of advice for Pakistan pacers on how to tackle the Australian top-order.

“Like we saw against West Indies, the Aussie top-order found it difficult to deal with the bowlers’ pace and bounce and this is something which the Pakistan bowlers, like Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, can exploit as well.”

The 56-year-old also stressed on the importance of mental aspect of the game.

“You have to be mentally strong to defeat teams like Australia,” he said. “Australia have aced the mental aspect of the game which is why Pakistan need to raise their game in this regard.”

The Faisalabad-born was not too worried with the nature of the pitch in Taunton.  

“There is nothing to worry about the Taunton green-top because it is mostly cosmetic in nature,” he said. “The ball won’t swing exponentially and there will be good batting conditions, especially if the sun is out.”

He added: “If the weather is not overcast, Pakistan should bat first and post a total around 300. But in order to score that many runs, Pakistan batsmen, especially the opener, will have to ensure that they don’t lose early wickets.”

He also advised Pakistan batsmen to play cautiously against Australia’s premier pacer Mitchell Starc.

“Whenever the Aussie captain is under pressure while bowling, he turns to Starc to provide wickets which is why it is pivotal for Pakistan to not lose any wickets against him even if they have to sacrifice the scoring rate for a couple of overs,” he said.