Ramiz Raja: “You need to revert to the opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam because that is Pakistan’s strength and they understand each other’s game. The entire combination has been disturbed due to Saim”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said it is time to revert to the original opening partnership of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
He pointed out that Saim Ayub has been given ample time to prove himself as an opener, but has failed to deliver any noteworthy performances.
Not convinced at all about the 22-year-old, Ramiz feels it is time for the men in green to make changes at the top of the order and lock in Azam and Rizwan as their go-to opening batsmen once again.
“You need to revert to the opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam because that is Pakistan’s strength and they understand each other’s game. The entire combination has been disturbed due to Saim,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by A Sports.
Pakistan recently played T20I series against New Zealand, Ireland and England, which they drew 2-2, won 2-1 and lost 2-0 respectively.
They then took part in the 2024 T20 World Cup, but got eliminated in the group stage of the tournament.
Azam scored 122 runs in four matches at an average of 40.66 and a strike-rate of 101.66, while Rizwan amassed 110 runs, which included a top score of 53 not out, at an average of 36.66 and a strike-rate of 90.90.
As for Ayub, he finished with 23 runs in two games at an average of 11.50 and a strike-rate of 79.31.
The men in green lost to the United States of America and India before fighting back to triumph over Canada and Ireland.
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