Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir responded to ex-teammate Mohammad Rizwan’s concerns about breaking the opening partnership with Babar Azam during PAK vs NZ 4th T2OI. Rizwan, after Pakistan’s loss in the 4th T20I against New Zealand, highlighted the negative impact of the change, stating that the decision not to play Babar as an opener has proven costly.
In a subtle dig on social media, Amir urged support for youngsters and emphasized the need to give new strategies time. He wrote, “Brother, you had fun for four years. No one is getting hurt if youngsters fail for four games. When you try new things, you need to give them time. It’s that simple.”
The Rizwan-Babar opening pair, with 2400 runs in 51 T20I innings, faced criticism for their strike rate. Team director Mohammad Hafeez decided to split them and promote Saim Ayub as the opener, but the new pair struggled in the New Zealand series, managing only 69 runs in four matches.
Rizwan acknowledged the public’s frustration, stating, “When you break things and the Pakistan public sees the one thing that was going well, but the management was trying to experiment, that’s tough.” Despite the challenges, Rizwan supported the management’s decision to experiment with the opening pair.
