Harsha Bhogle: “They have the issue with Fakhar Zaman”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Well-known cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said Pakistan need to decide what to do about opening batsman Fakhar Zaman as he has been very inconsistent as of late.
The hot and cold nature of the 33-year-old has proven to be a problem for the men in green as after the opening game of the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, they opted to drop him and slotted Abdullah Shafique into his spot.
In that time, Shafique has been brilliant, amassing 332 runs in six matches, which includes a century and three fifties, at an average of 55.33.
However, just as everything seemed to have settled down, Zaman returned for the game against Bangladesh in place of Imam-ul-Haq, who has not been at his best with the bat.
Having been thrown another lifeline, the Mardan native made the most of it as he smashed 81 runs off 74 balls, which included three boundaries and seven sixes.
Bhogle pointed out that Pakistan now face a conundrum as they need to decide which two batsmen will form their opening partnership going forward.
“They have the issue with Fakhar Zaman,” he told Cricbuzz as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan started the World Cup in flawless fashion as they defeated the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
However, they were unable to maintain their momentum as they subsequently lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
The men in green managed to end their dismal run with a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Kolkata.
Since they still have a chance of reaching the World Cup semi-finals, Pakistan will be looking to claim another win in their match against New Zealand on November 4 in Bengaluru.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: 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
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