Nasser Hussain: “If Pakistan is chasing 180, I’m sceptical due to their middle order vulnerabilities. For targets around 160, I think they can chase comfortably. Babar and Rizwan tend to play cautiously, causing them to fall behind in higher chases”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said Pakistan limited overs skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s cautiousness when batting hurts the team in T20Is.
He noted that if the men in green are chasing scores of 180 or more, he questions if the middle order can get the team over the line due to the number of deliveries Azam and Rizwan tend to use up.
Hussain’s comments echo that of many critics, who have constantly lambasted the Pakistan duo for batting too slow.
“If Pakistan is chasing 180, I’m sceptical due to their middle order vulnerabilities. For targets around 160, I think they can chase comfortably. Babar and Rizwan tend to play cautiously, causing them to fall behind in higher chases,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam and Rizwan are currently playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup, with the former having scored 90 runs in three games at an average of 30 and a strike-rate of 104.65.
As for Rizwan, he has amassed 93 runs in three matches, which includes a top score of 53 not out, at an average of 46.50 and a strike-rate of 88.57.
The men in green lost their first two games against the United States of America and India before bouncing back to beat Canada by seven wickets.
Pakistan will be back in action on June 16 when they face Ireland in Lauderhill.
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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