Pakistan will still be licking those batting wounds after that abysmal show against India. The only way to recover from such a defeat is by winning the next one, and the fact that their next 2016 Asia Cup T20 match is against the UAE should help them to do just that.
On a green wicket, having been put into bat first, the Pakistan batsmen lost the plot, succumbing rather tamely to the pressure exerted by India. While there was some good bowling in there, quite a few of the wickets that fell were due to bad batting and poor running.
[Get the highlights and match action of Pakistan vs UAE HERE]
That needs to change, obviously, for Pakistan, but it won't be easy, considering the UAE have restricted their last two opponents to totals of 129 and 133. The batsmen might not have that much to do, particularly, if they bat second, if their bowlers bowl like they did against India.
Defending a total of just 83, Pakistan made a game of it in the first four overs, picking up three wickets. Mohammad Amir was the star of the show, bowling one of the best first overs ever seen in T20I cricket.
However, Amir will need a little more backup from the rest, and provided he gets that, the UAE will struggle to score big. The Associate side have managed scores of just 115 and 82 so far in their first two matches, suggesting their weak link, like Pakistan's, is the batting.
The difference between the two sides lies in the fact that the Pakistan batting is better and the bowling a whole lot better. In Amir, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz, they have bowlers who can consistently reach speeds of around 145-150. Add a pitch that aids the fast bowlers, and you are looking at a lethal attacking quartet, who should be good enough to scythe through the UAE batting lineup.
"We know we have the best attack among all the teams," Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik was quoted as saying by PTI. "Batsmen have to take responsibility. Whoever gets in has to score 60-70, so your team ends up scoring 140-150, which the bowlers can defend.
"I am not thinking about run-rate. Our goal is to win our first game and then take it from there."
All the UAE, coached by former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed, can do is continue doing what they have done with the ball and hope, somehow, the batsman manage to negotiate that scary Pakistan quartet.
Where to Watch Live
Pakistan vs UAE is set to begin at 7.30 pm local time (7 pm IST, 5.30 pm GST, 1.30 pm GMT, 8.30 am ET). The Asia Cup match will be shown live in India on Star Sports 1,Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD1 and Star Sports HD3. Starsports.com and Hotstar will live stream the 2016 Asia Cup T20 match between Pakistan and the UAE for viewers in India.
Pakistan viewers can watch their team's match against the UAE live on PTV and Ten Sports while the online live stream option is on PTV Sports Live Streaming. Wiewers in the UAE, the rest of the Middle East and North Africa can watch the 2016 Asia Cup T20 match live on OSN Sports Cricket HD. The online live streaming option for the game is on on OSN Play.
Channel 9 will broadcast the Asia Cup match live in Bangladesh, while viewers in Sri Lanka can catch all thw action live on MTV Sports, Star and Sri Lanka National TV.
Audience in USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and Europe can watch the Asia Cup action live on Yupp TV.
