Salman Butt: “If Fakhar faces 40-50 balls, then Pakistan’s chances of winning rise to around 60-80 percent”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt reckons the national team’s chances of winning “rise to around 60-80 percent” if big-hitting batsman Fakhar Zaman “faces 40-50 balls”.
Zaman has established himself as a match-winner on numerous occasions through his aggressive batting style.
He recently played in the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan, where he accumulated 155 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 77 not out, at an average of 38.75 and a strike-rate of 138.39.
After that, the 35-year-old represented Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup and finished with 181 runs in seven games, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 30.16 and a strike-rate of 120.66.
“If Fakhar faces 40-50 balls, then Pakistan’s chances of winning rise to around 60-80 percent,” Salman was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
The men in green made it to the final of the Asia Cup, but came up short in their bid to win the competition as they lost to India by five wickets.
Pakistan will now play a home series against South Africa, which will consist of two Tests, three T20Is, and three ODIs.
The series will be held from October 12 to November 8.
Pakistan squad for South Africa Test series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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