Imad Wasim: “Rizwan should adapt as well if he is asked to bat down the order”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan spinner Imad Wasim said wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has to adapt if he is demoted down the batting order in T20Is.
Rizwan has been an opener in the shortest format for a few years and enjoyed a lot of success as he regularly scores runs and has played a number of match-winning knocks.
However, should Pakistan opt to insert a more attacking batsman at the top of the order, it could result in Rizwan batting lower down.
Imad pointed out that Babar Azam has already been pushed down to number three despite opening the batting with Rizwan for years, but managed to do well in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where he made 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
Rizwan kept hold of his opening spot in that series and finished with 184 runs, which included a top score of 90 not out, at an average of 46 and a strike-rate of 131.42.
“Rizwan should adapt as well if he is asked to bat down the order,” Imad told Cricket Pakistan.
Rizwan is now captaining the Multan Sultans in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Azam is leading the Peshawar Zalmi and Imad is playing for Islamabad United.
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 9: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Dawid Malan, Abbas Afridi, Reeza Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Shehzad
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9: Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Obed McCoy, Haider Ali, Muhammad Waseem
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