Fakhar Zaman: “I have played against him many times, but I never felt that he is an easy bowler to face. He is one of the best in the world”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman has admitted that he never felt New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee was easy to face.
He explained that Southee bowls exceptionally well with the new ball as he generates good swing.
As for the old ball, Zaman pointed out that the 35-year-old utilises his variations very well, which makes him very tough to play.
Considering the fact that Southee has taken 380 Test wickets at an average of 29.61, 221 ODI wickets at 33.70 and 164 T20I wickets at 22.38, Zaman conceded there is no denying he is “one of the best in the world”.
“He may not be that fast, but whenever we discuss him, he is still considered one of the best in the world because of his experience. He bowls well with both the new and old ball. With the new ball, he gets some swing, and with the older ball, he uses his variations. Personally, I have played against him many times, but I never felt that he is an easy bowler to face. He is one of the best in the world,” the 34-year-old from Mardan was quoted as saying by PakPassion.
Zaman recently played in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he was limited to 33 runs in four matches at an average of 8.25 and a strike-rate of 110.
He wasn’t picked for the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh, where the men in green find themselves 1-0 down after losing the first Test by 10 wickets.
The second Test got underway on August 30 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi
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