Aaqib Javed: “He failed to perform in PSL but still, he came in the national squad”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Lahore Qalandars head coach Aaqib Javed said hyped up big-hitter Haider Ali was a flop in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and thus fails to understand how he got into the national team.
The 22-year-old, who is seen as a star in the making, represented the Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 7 and scored 152 runs in nine matches at an average of 21.71 and a strike-rate of 116.03.
In PSL 8, which will take place in Pakistan from February to March 2023, Haider will play for the Karachi Kings as he was traded to the franchise with Shoaib Malik. Peshawar, meanwhile, got Pakistan captain Babar Azam in return.
On top of that, he was also promoted from the diamond category to platinum, something that didn’t sit well with some former players such as Sikandar Bakht.
Haider, who is known to hit plenty of fours and sixes when he is at his best, was selected in Pakistan’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, he failed to impress in the tournament as he mustered two runs in the two matches he played.
Considering how poor his form has been, Aaqib wants to know how he got picked.
“He failed to perform in PSL but still, he came in the national squad,” the former pace bowler told GeoNews.tv as quoted by Cricwick.
Pakistan are now playing two Test matches against New Zealand, with the first one having started on Monday in Karachi.
The second Test will also be held in Karachi and begin on January 2.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Zahid Mahmood
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