Saleem Malik: “Fakhar Zaman played really well and this is precisely the reason why I have always said that he should be a permanent member of our playing XI”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Saleem Malik said opener Fakhar Zaman should be a “permanent member of our playing XI” in ODIs.
This comes after Zaman was dropped from the playing XI in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup due to his poor run of form.
Malik noted that the 33-year-old is too good of a player to leave out and advocated for him to be brought back into the starting line-up.
“Fakhar Zaman played really well and this is precisely the reason why I have always said that he should be a permanent member of our playing XI,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Zaman played in Pakistan’s World Cup opener against the Netherlands, but was dismissed after scoring just 12 runs.
He was subsequently replaced by Abdullah Shafique, who has made scores of 113, 20, 64, 58 and 9 against Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa respectively.
Pakistan beat the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing their next four games.
With their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, they will be on the hunt for a big win against Bangladesh on October 31 in Kolkata.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup:Â Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali