Ian Bishop: “It’s the sort of aggression and power-hitting that Pakistan have been missing at the top of the order”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop wants Fakhar Zaman opening the batting going forward as he has the “aggression and power-hitting” that Pakistan is missing.
Zaman’s form had been a big problem for the men in green in the lead-up to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as he was struggling to score runs consistently.
He was dropped after the opening game against the Netherlands and missed the next five matches before returning with a bang as he smashed 81 and 126 not out against Bangladesh and New Zealand respectively.
Considering how destructive the 33-year-old can be, Bishop acknowledged that Pakistan need him at the top of the order.
“It’s the sort of aggression and power-hitting that Pakistan have been missing at the top of the order,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four straight to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green ended their campaign on a low as England hammered them by 93 runs.
Pakistan will now play a three-match Test series against Australia, but Zaman was not included in the 18-man squad announced for the tour.
The first Test between Pakistan and Australia will begin 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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