Mickey Arthur: “I have always been a massive backer of Fakhar because I think he can change games”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Recently removed Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur said he always backed opening batsman Fakhar Zaman since “he can change games.”
Zaman showed that during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup when he hammered 81 and 126 not out against Bangladesh and New Zealand respectively.
Prior to that, he missed five matches after being dropped from the playing XI following Pakistan’s opening game against the Netherlands.
Knowing full well how dominant the 33-year-old can be, Arthur noted that Pakistan need a batsman like Zaman who can unleash a volley of big shots right from the get-go.
“I have always been a massive backer of Fakhar because I think he can change games,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before going on a four-game losing streak, during which they were defeated by India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite bouncing back with consecutive victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to progress to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded the tournament on a low as England battered them by 93 runs.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match Test series against Australia, but Zaman was not included in the squad.
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
[TS_Poll id=”65″]