Mohammad Hafeez: “Calling them key players would be wrong and unfair. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not Pakistan cricket’s key players at the moment. Key players are those who win matches for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez honestly believes that batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan can no longer be classed as key players.
He noted that calling them key players “would be wrong and unfair” as they haven’t been winning games for the men in green lately.
Azam and Rizwan have missed all of Pakistan’s T20I assignments recently, including their three-match series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the tour of Bangladesh, and the three-match series against the West Indies.
They also weren’t picked for the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah.
The only series the duo have featured in was the three ODIs Pakistan played against the West Indies.
Rizwan, who captains Pakistan in ODIs, scored 69 runs, which included a top score of 53, at an average of 23.
As for Azam, he mustered 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
“Calling them key players would be wrong and unfair. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not Pakistan cricket’s key players at the moment. Key players are those who win matches for Pakistan,” Hafeez was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are now taking part in the 2025 Asia Cup, but Azam and Rizwan were once again left out of the squad.
The men in green began with a 93-run win over Oman before losing to India by seven wickets.
They bounced back to beat the UAE by 41 runs, which also secured them a place in the Super Four.
Next up for Pakistan will be a rematch against India on September 21 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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