England defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the second T20I at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. After the match, Shoaib Malik shared his views on the team’s batting order for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Malik, a veteran of 446 international matches, suggested some changes to the batting order for the World Cup. He dropped Saim Ayub from the order.
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What did Shoaib Malik say about Pakistan’s batting order?
Speaking after Pakistan’s loss to England in the second T20I, Malik said batsmen like Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed need more time and overtime to be truly effective.
“This is not the PSL, this is international cricket and just before the T20 World Cup,” Malik posted on his Twitter handle. “In my opinion, the batting order should be… Fakhar, Rizwan, Babar, Azam, Iftkar, Imad, Shadab.”
“The captain needs to utilise the bench players wisely,” he added. “Going forward, the captain should give Azam and Iftikhar enough time and overs to settle in. It’s unfair to expect them to score 12-14 runs straight away. Good luck in the remaining matches!!!”
– This is not PSL, it is international cricket and it is just before the T20 World Cup. In my opinion, the batting order is…
Facal
Rizwan
Babar
Azam
Iftkar
Imad
ShadabThe captain needs to use the bench players wisely. From now on, the captain should be given time and plenty of time…
— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) May 25, 2024
What happened in the second T20I between England and Pakistan?
Despite Fakhar Zaman’s explosive innings of 45 off 21 balls and Azam’s contribution of 32 off 26 balls, Pakistan fell short in chasing, being bowled out for 160 while chasing a target of 184.
Standout performances from the batting order by Iftikhar Ahmed (23 off 17) and Imad Wasim (22 off 13) were not enough to seal victory for Pakistan. Reece Topley took three wickets for England, while Moeen Ali and Jofra Archer picked up two wickets each to help England secure their eighth win in their last 11 T20Is against Pakistan.
Read more: Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Jos Buttler’s impressive 84 runs off 51 balls, teamed up with Will Jacks (37 off 23 balls) helped England to a competitive total of 183/7. Despite Pakistan’s early breakthroughs, Jacks and Jonny Bairstow’s contributions of 21 runs ensured that the score was defendable.
Shaheen Afridi took three wickets to lead Pakistan’s bowling attack, while Imad Wasim and Haris Rauf took two wickets each while Shadab Khan and Mohammed Amir failed to pick up a wicket.
