Basit Ali: “Babar Azam needs to learn how to hit the ball in the middle of the wicket more. If Babar learns this, he will leave all the other top order batters in the world behind”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali is confident limited overs captain Babar Azam can “leave all the other top order batters in the world behind” if he learns “how to hit the ball in the middle of the wicket more”.
Salman Butt: “Saim Ayub is the lucky one because in 20 innings, he couldn’t perform as per the expectations yet the management has shown faith in him which is a big thing. I don’t think you’ll ever see a player who was given as many chances in Pakistan’s history”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes opening batsman Saim Ayub should consider himself very lucky as he is still being given chances to prove himself after failing to make any noteworthy contributions in over 20 T20Is.
Saqlain Mushtaq: “In bowlers, my first pick would be Wasim Akram. You can’t take him out of any team. Doesn’t matter the opposition, the pressure, the conditions, he would always step up”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq said he would always pick iconic left-arm seamer Wasim Akram in any team as he stepped up all the time.
Salman Butt: “The important thing is that when Shadab has to play, he has to bowl and he has to bowl well, and that’s where the question mark lies”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has admitted that there is a question mark over spinner Shadab Khan as he hasn’t been bowling well lately.
Babar Azam: “The way he changes the game in the first six overs is commendable”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam feels opening batsman Saim Ayub is a special talent as he has the ability to change the complexion of a game in the first six overs.
Mohammad Hafeez: “He’s a very good package for T20 cricket. As a batsman, he should bat at number 5 or number 6 and play the best role for Pakistan cricket. As a fielder, he’s absolutely fantastic”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez believes spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan is a “very good package for T20 cricket” and should be batting at number five or six.
Mohammad Rizwan: “Shaheen, Naseem and Amir are the best bowlers in the world”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has heaped praise on the pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir, calling them the “best bowlers in the world”.
Babar Azam: “Bad days sometimes come. The type of player Shadab is, we know he’s one of our best players in batting, bowling, and especially in fielding. He will make a comeback”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam has backed spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan to return to his best in the near future.
Shoaib Malik: “[The] captain needs to utilise the options on [the] bench wisely. Moving forward, the captain should give time and enough overs to Azam and Iftikhar to settle first, expecting them to score 12-14 right away is unfair”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik believes Pakistan captain Babar Azam has excessively high expectations of big-hitters Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, saying requiring them to score 12 to 14 runs per over “right away is unfair”.
Rashid Latif: “Babar Azam was not a born captain but we hope he learns captaincy [over] time”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif believes Babar Azam “was not a born captain”.
