Azhar Ali: “I think either Babar or Rizwan will have to come down, especially considering the conditions in the West Indies where sometimes you need a quick start with the new ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali said limited overs captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan face a major dilemma as one of them must make the sacrifice and bat at number three during the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.
Azam and Rizwan opened in T20Is for a few years, but that has changed lately as both players have found themselves coming in at one down in different series.
Given that Pakistan will need to get off to fast starts in the T20 World Cup, Azhar conceded that one of them will need to get comfortable playing at number three for a prolonged period of time.
“See, this is my own opinion; people may disagree. I think either Babar or Rizwan will have to come down, especially considering the conditions in the West Indies where sometimes you need a quick start with the new ball,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“For tournaments like the T20 World Cup, we need impactful performances in the powerplay as well. One anchor player is fine, but for both of them, taking innings forward is also very important. However, if both players play similarly, you might face difficulties somewhere.”
Azam recently captained Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and accumulated 125 runs in five games, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
Rizwan, meanwhile, finished with 67 runs in three games.
Both players are now involved in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Ireland.
After that, Pakistan will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series:Â Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan