The Pakistan cricket team has been the epicenter of controversy and mismanagement since the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Greenshirts are struggling to sort out their plans and goals after missing out on a spot in the knockout stages again since their last finals. 2011 ODI WC.
In the tumultuous seven months since the World Cup, Pakistan have made significant cuts and changes in almost every aspect of their first-team squad and staff.
Pakistan selected Mohammad Hafeez as first-team coach, but he was later sacked. Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie were subsequently named white-ball and red-ball head coaches, respectively.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed as captain in the white-ball format but was later removed, while Shan Masood suffered the same fate in the red-ball format. In the end, Babar Azam was established as the skipper in all formats, just like in ODI World Cup 2023.
That wasn’t the case. The batting order of the players may or may not have changed. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been asked to bat in different positions for quite some time after batting together at the beginning of the innings.
BET NOW: Get exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on IPL action
What did Ramiz Raja say about Pakistan’s opening pair in the 2024 T20I World Cup?
Ramiz Raja spoke to reporters about Pakistan’s opening match-up in the upcoming T20I World Cup. The former Pakistan international doubted that youngster Saim Ayub would be the opening bowler of the ICC tournament.
The 61-year-old spoke about how Pakistan’s management needs to decide on the southpaw’s place in the team after failing to impress in the numerous chances given to him. Instead, Raja proposed to the PCB to stick with the fixed opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
He said,
I don’t think Saim Ayoub is a surefire starting pitcher. The team management needs to understand that there is no point in worrying about the opening fair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Mr. Syme has failed many times and Pakistan has to rely on him.
For Pakistan, Babar Azam batted at number three, with Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan leading the innings. Head coach Gary Kirsten reportedly favors the ‘Mohammad Hafeez method’ of promoting Saim Ayub to the starting position ahead of Babar Azam.
Read more: Lance Klusener talks about India star’s spat with owner Sanjiv Goenka
What’s next for Pakistan?
Pakistan will play Ireland on Tuesday in the third and final T20I of the bilateral series. It has been an entertaining tournament so far, with both teams looking to win the tournament decider after the first two games in Dublin resulted in a 1-1 tie.
The final game of the series will be played on Tuesday, May 14th. The match will be held at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin and the match will start at 19:30 IST.
