Deep Dasgupta: “The decision to play Rizwan at number four is a good one. Eleven to forty overs are crucial in one-day cricket. Playing out the middle overs makes a difference in teams and Rizwan performs well in the middle order”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta believes that Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is the best man to bat at number four in ODIs.
He noted that Rizwan is very dependable and has repeatedly shown that he can excel during the middle overs, which is a crucial period for teams in the 50-over format.
Considering how well he did in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Dasgupta urged Pakistan not to move Rizwan around and let him keep hold of that number four spot going forward.
“The decision to play Rizwan at number four is a good one. Eleven to forty overs are crucial in one-day cricket. Playing out the middle overs makes a difference in teams and Rizwan performs well in the middle order,” he told Geo Super.
In the World Cup, Rizwan amassed 395 runs in nine matches, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 65.83.
Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four in a row to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite bouncing back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not book their spot in the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign in disappointing fashion as England smashed them by 93 runs.
Rizwan’s next assignment will be Pakistan’s three-Test series against Australia, which starts on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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