Babar Azam: “We want to give them plenty of matches and confidence, and these players have performed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has promised that Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah will be given plenty of chances to cement their spots in the team.
The trio have been included as power-hitters and are expected to bolster the middle order, which has been a lingering problem for Pakistan.
So far, though, they have been unable to perform consistently, which has led to them coming under fire.
But, Azam has vowed to keep backing them and ensuring they get enough time to show what they can do.
“We want to give them plenty of matches and confidence, and these players have performed,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
The men in green are currently playing in the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Iftikhar has done well in the tournament, scoring 113 runs in four matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 37.66 and a strike-rate of 134.52.
Asif has only featured in the game against India thus far, where he made two runs.
As for Khushdil, he has not been in the playing XI for any of Pakistan’s matches.
Pakistan managed to keep their campaign alive with a 33-run win over South Africa via the D/L method on Thursday.
Their next match will see them take on Bangladesh on Sunday in Adelaide.
Pakistan’s 2022 T20 World Cup squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, 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: Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir
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