Sohaib Maqsood: “Unless your name is Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan, who can play at a strike-rate of 140 without taking any risks”
Image courtesy of: Pakistan Super League
Pakistan batsman Sohaib Maqsood said captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan have the ability to maintain strike-rates of 140 without taking unnecessary risks.
All three players recently featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Azam represented the Karachi Kings, while Rizwan and Maqsood played for the Multan Sultans, who won their first-ever PSL title as they beat the Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs.
In the 11 matches he played, Azam scored 554 runs, which included seven half-centuries, at an average of 69.25 and a strike-rate of 132.53.
As for Rizwan, who captained the Sultans, he made 500 runs in 12 matches, which included four half-centuries, at an average of 45.45 and a strike-rate of 127.87.
In regards to Maqsood, he accumulated 428 runs in 12 games, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 47.55 and a strike-rate of 156.77.
“Unless your name is Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan, who can play at a strike-rate of 140 without taking any risks,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
The 34-year-old last played international cricket in January 2016, but could make his comeback soon as he replaced Haider Ali in Pakistan’s squad for the tours of England and the West Indies.
Haider was withdrawn from the national team after he and fellow Zalmi player Umaid Asif breached the PSL’s Health and Safety Protocols by meeting with people outside the bio-secure bubble.
In addition to that, Haider and Umaid were suspended for the PSL final.