Younis Khan: “Babar and Rizwan should definitely be part of the T20I team, but not at the top. Their ideal position is in the middle order, where they can build the innings and provide stability”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan batsman Younis Khan believes Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan belong in the middle order in the T20I team.
Both players used to open the batting for the men in green in the shortest format, but were constantly lambasted for batting too slow and putting unnecessary pressure on the middle order batsmen.
Azam and Rizwan haven’t been picked for Pakistan’s last couple of T20I assignments as they were left out of the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and the three T20Is against Bangladesh.
Younis noted that they do have a place in the team, but have to be slotted in the middle order, where they can “build the innings and provide stability”.
“Babar and Rizwan should definitely be part of the T20I team, but not at the top. Their ideal position is in the middle order, where they can build the innings and provide stability,” he said on the show Josh Jaga Dey as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam and Rizwan were recently involved in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with the former amassing 129 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
As for Rizwan, who is Pakistan’s ODI captain, he finished with 72 runs at an average of 24.
After the New Zealand tour, Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and struck 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Rizwan was in charge of the Multan Sultans and accumulated 367 runs in 10 matches, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 52.42 and a strike-rate of 139.54.
Once PSL 10 concluded, Pakistan played their T20I series against Bangladesh, which they won 3-0.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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