Imad Wasim: “If the new combinations don’t work, then they can go back to Babar and Rizwan as the opening pair”
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Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim has praised T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi for trying out new opening combinations, saying if things don’t work out, he can always go back to Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Azam and Rizwan had been Pakistan’s go-to opening duo for years, but they were regularly lambasted for their low strike-rates.
Afridi opted to make a big change in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand as Azam was moved down to number three, while Rizwan opened the batting with power-hitting sensation Saim Ayub.
With the 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled to begin in June, Imad urged Afridi to trial any other combinations he has in mind before deciding which one works best.
“Shaheen did a good thing that he checked different opening combinations. It would be better for him if he continues to check different combinations before the World Cup. If the new combinations don’t work, then they can go back to Babar and Rizwan as the opening pair,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi is currently captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Azam and Rizwan are in charge of the Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans respectively. As for Imad, he is representing Islamabad United.
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
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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