Mohammad Wasim: “If Pakistan has to win, Babar will have to score runs, Shaheen will have to take wickets”
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Former chief selector Mohammad Wasim said limited overs captain Babar Azam and left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi must perform well if Pakistan want to win matches.
The men in green have experienced a poor run of form since the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as they lost 3-0 in their Test series against Australia.
They were then beaten 4-1 in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January 2024.
In order for the team to turn their fortunes around, Wasim noted that both Azam and Afridi have to lead from the front consistently.
“If Pakistan has to win, Babar will have to score runs, Shaheen will have to take wickets,” he told Geo News.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as the highest run-scorer with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
Afridi, meanwhile, led the Lahore Qalandars and took 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.14 and an economy rate of 8.61.
Both players will now be involved in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha