Misbah-ul-Haq: “The way Iftikhar and Samad finished the innings was really good. This is what the Pakistan team needs at the moment, finishing the games on a high note. We need batters who can strike big and carry a solid technique as well”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq believes the men in green need big-hitters like Iftikhar Ahmed and Abdul Samad as they are capable of finishing games “on a high note”.
Misbah was recently the mentor of the Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over tournament held in Faisalabad, and saw both Iftikhar and Samad in action as they played for the team.
In six games for the Markhors, 34-year-old Iftikhar scored 193 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 38.60.
As for 26-year-old Samad, he finished with 145 runs in six matches, which included a top score of 62, at an average of 24.16.
Following this, both players took part in the President’s Cup Grade-I (1-Day) competition, with Iftikhar amassing 236 runs in four matches for the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), which included a career-best 154 not out, at an average of 118.
Samad, meanwhile, accumulated 92 runs in four games for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at an average of 23.
“The way Iftikhar and Samad finished the innings was really good. This is what the Pakistan team needs at the moment, finishing the games on a high note. We need batters who can strike big and carry a solid technique as well,” Misbah was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Pakistan team recently faced Bangladesh in a two-Test series and were beaten 2-0.
They are now taking on England in a three-match Test series, which is tied at 1-1.
The third Test started on October 24 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.
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