re: Pakistan vs. Zimbabwe on Mar. 1 @ Woolloongabba, Brisbane CWC 2015/ Younis out
If it was UAE I would open with Sarfraz but I don’t think he will do well at all opening in these foreign conditions. That was evident during the practise match where he opened and scored 1 run of 10 balls and got out. I think Umar Akmal could be sent to open to counter attack and the way he goes hard at the ball, he could get us off to a good start.
Plus with Ahmed Shahzad in poor form, and the fact that he cannot rotate the strike whatsoever, it might be a good idea to have an aggressive opener who can also pinch some quick singles at the other end. I think Haris would be under too much pressure if he opens and both him and Shahzad could get bogged down and will end up playing a poor shot to get out.
With Umar Akmal batting way down the order at number 6, by the time he comes out to bat, the game is lost anyway. I think it would be wiser to send him up the order, he plays pace better than spin anyway, and keep Sohaib and Sarfraz later on to milk the spinners/medium pacers/part timers.