Srinagar: Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has said that Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan should open for Pakistan in T20I’s while as another former skipper Misbah ul Haq disagreed with the opinion.
Afridi made this statement during a recent interview on a local Pakistan media news channel.
“For me, Fakhar and Rizwan are Pakistan team openers for T20 cricket and Babar Azam should bat at number three,” Afridi said.
Former Pakistan chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, supported Afridi’s statement, however, said that Babar could face difficulty batting down the order.
“Yes, this could happen and its’ not a big deal. It’s been a part of the debate that Babar should bat at number three, but I don’t think he feels comfortable playing at that position,” said Inzamam.
“Babar’s strike-rate in first six over is quite good, but it is very different after six over, so Babar will face difficulty if he plays in lower down the order,” he added.
Former Pakistan head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq, had a different opinion on the matter. He suggested that Fakhar takes one or two overs to get himself settled at the crease.
“Fakhar Zaman takes one or two overs to gain his momentum. Once he starts to play attacking shots right from the beginning, then he easily gets out. If you look at his stats, he has quite a low average when he hits straight away from the first ball,” said Misbah.
“He becomes dangerous once he plays at least 10-12 deliveries. When Babar plays any shot inside the circle, he gets in trouble. Fakhar has the ability to hit three sixes in an over once he is settles himself,” he concluded.