Sohaib Maqsood: “The day Haseebullah will make his debut in ODIs in [the] top 3… he will be a permanent member of [the] playing XI, mark my words. Please don’t waste or shake his confidence by playing him [in] T20s at 6 [or] 7, let him wait for his time”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan big-hitter Sohaib Maqsood wants Haseebullah Khan batting in the top three in ODIs as he feels it will result in him becoming a “permanent member of [the] playing XI”.
Haseebullah has only featured in one ODI to date, which came against Zimbabwe in November 2024.
In that match, he batted at number six and was dismissed for a duck.
Additionally, Maqsood urged Pakistan not to waste Haseebullah’s talent by making him bat at number six or seven in T20Is as it will “shake his confidence” and affect his performance.
Considering the 21-year-old is one of the brightest prospects in the country, Maqsood is keen to see him bat higher up the order so that he gets a proper chance to showcase his skills.
“The day Haseebullah will make his debut in ODIs in [the] top 3… he will be a permanent member of [the] playing XI, mark my words. Please don’t waste or shake his confidence by playing him [in] T20s at 6 [or] 7, let him wait for his time,” the 37-year-old said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Recently, Haseebullah was in action in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Australia and scored 36 runs in two games at an average of 18.
He then featured in one ODI against Zimbabwe, but didn’t feature in the T20I series that followed.
Pakistan will now face South Africa in three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
The T20I series will begin on December 10, while the ODI and Test series will start on December 17 and December 26 respectively.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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