The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to bring former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq into the mix to bolster their power-hitting. PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi has decided to form a ‘strike force’ after the Pakistan cricket team‘s struggles in T20Is this year.
A ‘new’ Pakistan team in T20Is
According to Geo News, PCB will select 50 batters from all over Pakistan based on their ability to strike. Razzaq will oversee the selection process, which will ensure these players develop and then enter the Pakistan team ready to take international cricket by storm.
The sole focus of these players would be to aim for boundaries instead of falling back on traditional ways of cricket in Pakistan. The process is expected to take about one year, after which the Men in Green will be a ‘new’ side with hitters from top to bottom. The decision comes after a steep decline in Pakistan’s T20I returns.
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Pakistan’s 2024 struggles
From making the semifinal of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Pakistan was knocked out in the 2024 edition after the group stage. This included a shocking loss to the USA. Winning just 1/3 of the games they played in 2024 isn’t what anyone expected from Pakistan, which had become a specialist T20 team for the last five years.
Although the focus isn’t on ODIs, considering talented players feature in all formats, Pakistan might benefit from the move in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy as well. For which, they’ll be the hosts.
Abdul Razzaq’s coaching resume
Since retiring from cricket, Razzaq has taken up coaching. Apart from finding success in domestic cricket as head coach of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab, the all-rounder has had a stint with Pakistan as well. He was appointed the interim head coach in 2021 for the Pakistan tour of New Zealand and was their assistant coach for the 5-match T20I series against New Zealand earlier in the year.
