Mohammad Wasim: “I understand [the] reservations about their strike-rate, but you will see improvements in it”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim has guaranteed that captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan will start scoring quicker in T20Is.
The duo have come under fire for their poor strike-rate and the fact that they force the middle order batsmen to start hitting from ball one as they have very little time to get settled when they come in to bat.
While many former cricketers have called for a change at the top of the order, with Azam or Rizwan moving down to number three, Wasim doesn’t want that to happen. Instead, he has backed them to increase their strike-rate in the near future.
“I understand [the] reservations about their strike-rate, but you will see improvements in it,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Wasim was replaced as chief selector by Shahid Afridi, who holds the position on an interim basis.
Pakistan recently played a two-Test series against New Zealand, which ended as a 0-0 draw.
Azam was in solid form, scoring 226 runs, which included a top score of 161, at an average of 56.50.
Rizwan, meanwhile, was not picked in both matches as Sarfaraz Ahmed was selected ahead of him.
Sarfaraz, who previously captained Pakistan, was unstoppable throughout the series as he amassed 335 runs, which included a career-best 118 and three fifties, at an average of 83.75.
The men in green are now playing a three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, which is tied at 1-1.
Azam scored 66 and 79 in the first two games, while Rizwan made 77 not out and 28.
The third and final match will be held on Friday in Karachi.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand ODI series: Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir
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