Kane Williamson: “When Fakhar Zaman gets going then not many grounds are big enough and certainly this one wasn’t. He hit it to all parts”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
New Zealand limited overs captain Kane Williamson said Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman smashes bowlers to all parts of the ground when he gets going.
Williamson saw firsthand how destructive Zaman can be as the 33-year-old smashed a breathtaking 126 not out against New Zealand in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The Black Caps skipper even went as far as saying that when the Mardan native catches fire, “not many grounds are big enough” to contain the vast array of big shots he unleashes.
“When Fakhar Zaman gets going then not many grounds are big enough and certainly this one wasn’t. He hit it to all parts,” Williamson 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 suffering four straight defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they bounced back to take down Bangladesh and New Zealand, they were unable to book their spot in the semi-finals.
The men in green ended their campaign on a low as England pummelled them 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 start on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series:Â 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