Mohammad Hafeez: “These two players can fairly be accommodated for the fifth or sixth positions or even in fourth, fifth, or sixth positions – they can be well utilised”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mohammad Hafeez said Pakistan middle order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel are very versatile, which is why they can occupy any spot in the ODI batting line-up from number four to six.
He noted that the duo should be used according to the situation the men in green find themselves in.
Iftikhar recently played two ODIs against New Zealand, where he made 122 runs, which included a top score of 94 not out, at an average of 122 and a strike-rate of 129.78.
Shakeel, meanwhile, has not played ODI cricket since March 2022.
With the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India fast approaching, Hafeez wants Pakistan to utilise the pair as much as possible.
“These two players can fairly be accommodated for the fifth or sixth positions or even in fourth, fifth, or sixth positions – they can be well utilised,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Iftikhar hasn’t been picked for Pakistan’s ongoing two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but Shakeel was named Man of the Match in the first Test in Galle as he led the national team to a four-wicket win after scoring a spectacular 208 not out.
The second Test is currently taking place in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood