Yasir Hameed: “If you want to try an opening pair, try Usman Khan with Rizwan, both have chemistry playing with each other and Usman [has] got 2 100s in PSL. It will be [beneficial]”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Yasir Hameed believes the men in green should consider letting Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan open the batting in T20Is.
Hameed noted that both players have good chemistry as they have batted together while playing for the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Currently, Pakistan’s opening pair is either Rizwan and Saim Ayub or Rizwan and limited overs captain Babar Azam.
But, with Ayub out of form and Azam being criticised for batting too slow, Hamed feels Pakistan should experiment with Rizwan and Usman to see if it works out.
“If you want to try an opening pair, try Usman Khan with Rizwan, both have chemistry playing with each other and Usman [has] got 2 100s in PSL. It will be [beneficial],” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rizwan was Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 110 runs in four matches, which included a top score of 53 not out, at an average of 36.66 and a strike-rate of 90.90.
As for Usman, he finished with 20 runs in four games at an average of 6.66 and a strike-rate of 90.90.
Pakistan lost to the United States of America and India before bouncing back to defeat Canada and Ireland.
Despite winning those two matches, the men in green 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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