Sahibzada Farhan: “The top order in [the] Test and ODI teams are stable, the way Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood are performing but if they don’t then other players would step up. But, I do not want them to fail”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan cricketer Sahibzada Farhan has made it clear that he doesn’t want to see top order batsmen Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood fail.
Ayub and Shafique generally open the batting in Tests and ODIs, while Masood is Pakistan’s Test captain.
All three of them have become crucial members of the squad, but Shafique and Masood’s performances have been slightly iffy as of late, while Ayub is on a hot streak.
Questions have started to be raised about both Shafique and Masood due to their inconsistent run-scoring, but Farhan reiterated that he wants to see them succeed.
“The top order in [the] Test and ODI teams are stable, the way Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood are performing but if they don’t then other players would step up. But, I do not want them to fail,” he told Geo News.
Farhan featured in Pakistan’s limited overs series against Australia, amassing 22 runs in three T20Is at an average of 7.33.
He then proceeded to score four runs in the one T20I he played against Zimbabwe.
Farhan was subsequently dropped for the ongoing tour of South Africa, where the men in green lost the T20I series 2-0 before bouncing back to secure a 3-0 victory in the ODIs.
Pakistan and South Africa are now playing two Tests, with the first match having gotten underway on December 26 in Centurion.
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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