Rumman Raees on Mohammad Hafeez: “Let’s all pray he keeps getting better like this and carries the form in [the T20 World Cup]”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan pace bowler Rumman Raees said the national team will need veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
His comments come after Hafeez accumulated 140 runs in the three-match T20 series against New Zealand, which included a career-best score of 99 not out, at an average of 70 and a strike-rate of 160.91.
The 40-year-old will also end 2020 as the highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals with 415 runs in 10 games, which includes four fifties, at an average of 83 and a strike-rate of 152.57.
Raees wants people to “pray he keeps getting better like this and carries the form” into next year’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in India.
In addition to Hafeez, Raees also praised wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for their performances in the T20 series against New Zealand.
Rizwan smashed a career-best 89, which came off 59 balls and included 10 boundaries and three sixes, in the third T20 International against the Black Caps.
The 28-year-old’s knock was a historic one as he made the joint-highest score for a Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman in T20 Internationals.
At the top with him is former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who struck an unbeaten 89, which came off 49 deliveries and included 10 boundaries and three sixes, against Scotland in June 2018.
As for Faheem, he scored 37 runs in three matches at an average of 12.33 and took four wickets at an average of 14.25 and an economy rate of 5.51.
Good win today boys! @TheRealPCB . Really loved the composed fireworks of @iMRizwanPak . Also some good fast bowling by @iFaheemAshraf .
And this boy @MHafeez22 bhai lets all pray he keeps getting better like this and carries the form in World T20I InshAllah.#PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/izQbHpybfZ
— Rumman Raees (@rummanraees15) December 22, 2020
“Good win today boys! Really loved the composed fireworks of Mohammad Rizwan. Also some good fast bowling by Faheem Ashraf. And this boy Mohammad Hafeez bhai let’s all pray he keeps getting better like this and carries the form in [the T20 World Cup] InshAllah,” Raees said on Twitter.
Rizwan will now captain Pakistan in the first Test on Boxing Day as regular skipper Babar Azam was ruled out of the match since he is still recovering from the fractured right thumb that sidelined him for the T20 series.