Former fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, believes that the Pakistan cricket team should opt for an opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan in the T20Is. Akhtar said that Sharjeel is a natural hitter and should be one of the first names on the team sheet in the shortest format of the game.
ALSO READ
Pakistan’s Batsmen Have Excellent Averages Against Fast and Spin Bowlers
Akhtar said that Pakistan has to be more ruthless in their playing style and their team selections. He said that the team should look to score more than 200 runs in every match. Akhtar appreciated Mohammad Rizwan’s performances at the top of the order but opined that Fakhar and Sharjeel should be the regular opening pair, with Rizwan dropping down to the middle-order.
“No matter how well [Mohammad] Rizwan plays, but Sharjeel walks into the T20I side. Fakhar and Sharjeel together can destroy the opponent. Pakistan needs to think about playing ruthless cricket. Today’s cricket is not about 170 or 180s, you have to play for 200+ runs,” Akhtar said.
ALSO READ
Pakistan’s ODI Side Has a Lot of Room for Improvement: Younis Khan
Akhtar said that Fakhar and Sharjeel have the potential to be the new Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail for the national team and can form a formidable duo at the top of the order. He added that Babar Azam should play at number three, followed by Mohammad Hafeez at four. He believes that Pakistan should utilize the services of Mohammad Rizwan at the fifth spot, followed by the young hard-hitting batsman, Haider Ali.
Akhtar added that the team management should also look to play Asif Ali lower down the order to provide the fireworks at the back-end of the innings. He said that Asif Ali is good at power-hitting and could prove to be handy in the shortest format.
