Shahid Afridi: “Iftikhar can be brought back to number five – given the fact that (Mohammad) Rizwan wants to play on number four, so it’s a good opportunity to take chances and try different combinations”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shahid Afridi, the former interim chief selector, wants to see Pakistan big-hitting batsman be given a chance to bat at number five in ODIs.
He noted that it is good to “try different combinations” and figure out where each batsman excels.
On top of this, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is keen to bat at number four, which would free up the number five spot.
However, the men in green don’t have a lot of time to experiment since the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled to get underway on October 5.
“Iftikhar can be brought back to number five – given the fact that (Mohammad) Rizwan wants to play on number four, so it’s a good opportunity to take chances and try different combinations,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Iftikhar’s last ODI assignment came against New Zealand earlier in 2023 as he featured in two games in the five-match series.
In those two games, he amassed 122 runs, which included a top score of 94 not out, at an average of 122 and a strike-rate of 129.78.
He wasn’t picked for Pakistan’s recent two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which the men in green won 2-0.