Ramiz Raja: “Another good thing about him is that he plays spin well and that’s a big plus for an opener. Normally, you open because you are good against fast bowlers but the good thing about him is that he can handle spin”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan captain, admitted it is a “big plus” that opener Fakhar Zaman is capable of playing spinners well.
He noted that opening batsmen are usually dominant against fast bowlers, but Zaman has got an advantage over his rivals since he is a good player of spin.
“He reads the situation really well and another good thing about him is that he plays spin well and that’s a big plus for an opener. Normally, you open because you are good against fast bowlers but the good thing about him is that he can handle spin,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricwick.
Zaman recently played for Pakistan in their five-match ODI series against New Zealand, where he struck 363 runs in five ODIs against New Zealand, which included two hundreds, at an average of 90.75.
He then played for the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada, where he amassed 161 runs in six games, which included a top score of 73, at an average of 26.83 and a strike-rate of 119.25.
The 33-year-old from Mardan is now playing for B-Love Kandy in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), where he has accumulated 156 runs in six matches at an average of 26 and a strike-rate of 115.55.
Zaman wasn’t part of Pakistan’s squad for their 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka.
However, he has been selected for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which will take place in Sri Lanka from August 22 to 26.
After that, the men in green will be involved in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
Pakistan Squad for Afghanistan ODI Series and 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (Afghanistan series only), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr