Fakhar Zaman: “They should be given more chances”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan top order batsman Fakhar Zaman believes the big-hitting duo of Saim Ayub and Azam Khan “should be given more chances” to prove their worth.
Both players have failed to live up to expectations for the men in green despite performing very well at the domestic level.
Ayub has made 162 runs in 12 T20Is at an average of 14.72 and a strike-rate of 124.61, while Azam has only managed to score 29 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 4.83 and a strike-rate of 90.62.
The duo completely flopped in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with Ayub making 39 runs in four games at an average of 9.75.
As for Azam, he ended up with 22 runs at an average of 7.33.
Even though both batsmen have been well below par, Zaman wants the Pakistan selectors to stick with them as he is confident they will pay dividends really soon.
“They should be given more chances,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Zaman is now representing the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Ayub and Azam are playing for the Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United respectively.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sahibzada Farhan, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Hafeez, Dan Lawrence, Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas
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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