Anil Kumble: “For Pakistan’s sake, it’s important that Fakhar Zaman gets some runs upfront”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary India spinner Anil Kumble said Pakistan need runs from opening batsman Fakhar Zaman as he has the ability to set the tone of the match for them.
Zaman’s form seems to be back on the rise after he was initially dropped following Pakistan’s opening game against the Netherlands in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The 33-year-old missed the next five games before being recalled to the team to replace fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq.
Having been handed another lifeline, the Mardan native hasn’t wasted it as he walloped 81 and 126 not out against Bangladesh and New Zealand respectively.
Having noticed Zaman’s resurgence, Kumble reiterated how important he can be for the men in green if he keeps scoring runs regularly.
“For Pakistan’s sake, it’s important that Fakhar Zaman gets some runs upfront,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing their next four to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Teetering on the edge of elimination, they bounced back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand to keep their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.
However, they failed to advance to the final four and lost their last group stage match against England by 93 runs.
Pakistan will now face Australia in a three-match Test series, 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
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