Mohammad Wasim: “Haider Ali has won us matches and Khushdil Shah as well but these players have a different role and they can’t win you every game”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim has stood by his decision to include Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah in the national team, saying both batsmen have played match-winning knocks in the past.
The duo usually play in the middle order, which has been a longstanding weakness the men in green have been trying to fix.
Many feel Haider and Khushdil haven’t done what is expected of them, but given the firepower they possess, Wasim has placed his trust in them.
He added that people must lower their expectations as they can’t be heroes every time.
“Haider Ali has won us matches and Khushdil Shah as well but these players have a different role and they can’t win you every game,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
In Pakistan’s T20 World Cup opener against India, Haider made two runs, while Khushdil was not included in the playing XI.
The men in green lost by four wickets off the last ball and will now be looking to get their campaign back on track when they face Zimbabwe in Perth on Thursday.
Pakistan’s 2022 T20 World Cup squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood
Reserves: Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir