Babar Azam: “Zaman Khan is a new ball bowler and we already have 3 to 4 new ball bowlers”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan limited overs captain Babar Azam has defended the decision to keep overlooking speedster Zaman Khan, saying the team already have “3 to 4 new ball bowlers”.
Zaman is an exciting young talent who has gained quite a reputation for his unplayable yorkers.
Even though the 22-year-old has proven himself to be a useful death bowler, Azam still classifies him as a new ball bowler and thus feels there isn’t space for him in the national team.
“Zaman Khan is a new ball bowler and we already have 3 to 4 new ball bowlers,” he was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently captained Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and scored 125 runs, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
He then went on to make 132 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 148.31 in the three-match T20I series against Ireland.
Pakistan are now facing England in a four-match T20I series, which is tied at 0-0 after the first game was washed out.
Afterwards, they will feature in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: 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
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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