Ramiz Raja: “Let Mohammad Rizwan do the keeping, open with Rizwan and Babar as the opening pair, and then you can play an extra all-rounder instead of Azam Khan or a proper batsman. These are the things to do”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja believes wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan should be dropped from the T20I team in favour of an additional all-rounder or a “proper batsman”.
Ramiz added that Mohammad Rizwan should be wicketkeeping instead of Azam and the latter’s removal from the squad would open up a free spot in the middle order.
Azam has been a major disappointment at the international level, having scored 88 runs in 14 T20Is at an average of 8.80 and a strike-rate of 133.33.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, he failed to have an impact at all as he was dismissed for a golden duck against the United States of America, which was the only match he played.
Since the 25-year-old isn’t doing his job, Ramiz admitted that his time in the team is up and the selectors, team management and limited overs captain Babar Azam need to find someone who will be more effective.
“Let Mohammad Rizwan do the keeping, open with Rizwan and Babar as the opening pair, and then you can play an extra all-rounder instead of Azam Khan or a proper batsman. These are the things to do,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan lost their first two T20 World Cup games against the United States of America and India before triumphing over Canada and Ireland.
Despite this, they were eliminated in the group stage of the competition.
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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