Rashid Latif: “Babar Azam must bat at number three or else [he] should be dropped from the line-up”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif believes Babar Azam should bat at number three or be left out of the T20I line-up altogether.
Azam used to open the batting for Pakistan in the shortest format, but his strike-rate has remained a persistent concern.
Despite the success Azam enjoyed at the top of the order, Latif believes the 31-year-old from Lahore, who is currently batting at number four, should instead come in at one down, which he considers the most suitable position for him.
“Babar Azam must bat at number three or else [he] should be dropped from the line-up,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X.
Azam is now captaining Pakistan in their two-Test series against the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago.
After that, the men in green will travel to England for a three-Test series from August 19 to September 13.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Pakistan Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah