Imran Nazir: “I would go with Fakhar opening the innings alongside [Mohammad] Rizwan and Babar would come at number three”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Imran Nazir wants to see Fakhar Zaman open the batting once again in T20Is instead of batting at number four.
Nazir believes Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan should be Pakistan’s go-to openers, with limited overs captain Babar Azam coming in at number three.
Explaining why he wants the 34-year-old back at the top of the order, Nazir pointed out that Zaman can help the men in green get off to fast starts, which is crucial when trying to set a big total or chase down a daunting score.
“If I talk about Fakhar [Zaman], I think he is one of those batters [for opening]. If you cannot set [the] tune [of the match] in the first six overs, neither [can you] chase the target nor [can you] score a big total. I would go with Fakhar opening the innings alongside [Mohammad] Rizwan and Babar would come at number three,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
In the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup, Zaman has accumulated 28 runs in three matches at an average of 9.33 and a strike-rate of 133.33.
Pakistan will be eliminated in the group stage of the tournament after losing to the United States of America and India.
They then defeated Canada by seven wickets and will now end their campaign with a clash against Ireland on June 16 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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