Ramiz Raja: “They create a strong base for others to propel afterwards them”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are two dependable batsmen in T20Is as they “create a strong base” for other batters to build on.
He noted that both of them have a knack of scoring big runs, which then allows the middle order to come in and provide some fireworks.
Ramiz’s take on Azam and Rizwan differs from many other people, who feel that they bat too slowly. But, he has backed them to continue playing in the top order, as long as they keep laying a solid foundation.
“They create a strong base for others to propel afterwards them,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam and Rizwan were recently involved in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, with the former amassing 126 runs at an average of 21.
Rizwan, meanwhile, made 193 runs, which included a top score of 88, at an average of 48.25.
Both of them then featured in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with Azam scoring 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
As for Rizwan, he accumulated 184 runs, which included a top score of 90 not out, at an average of 46 and a strike-rate of 131.42.
Azam will now captain the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Rizwan will lead the Multan Sultans.
PSL 9 will be played from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Lungi Ngidi, Mehran Mumtaz, Noor Ahmad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 9: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Faisal Akram, Dawid Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Reece Topley, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, David Willey
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