Gautam Gambhir: “So for Pakistan, if Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan have to bat freely, Babar needs to stand at one end”

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir said Pakistan star Babar Azam has to be at the crease if Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan want to “bat freely.”

He noted that with Azam taking on the anchor role, it would allow the trio to attack the bowlers and score quick runs.

During the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Azam amassed 320 runs in nine matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 40.

“So for Pakistan, if Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan have to bat freely, Babar needs to stand at one end,” Gambhir told Star Sports as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

Pakistan won their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.

Even though they ended their four-game losing streak with successive wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not make it through to the semi-finals.

The men in green concluded their campaign in disappointing fashion as England battered them by 93 runs.

Azam, who resigned as captain in all three formats after the World Cup, will now play for Pakistan in their three-match 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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