T20 World Cup: Inzamam did not look impressed at all: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has raised questions on Pakistan openers’, skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, strike rate and has urged them to make the most of the powerplays. Inzamam also credited Fakhar Zaman’s knock for Pakistan’s win over West Indies in the warm-up game.
T20 World Cup: Inzamam ul-Haq very concerned with Babar Azam and Mohd Rizwan’s strike rate ahead of India vs Pakistan clash
Though Babar Azam scored a half-century and Pakistan won the low-scoring warm-up game against the West Indies by seven wickets with 27 balls remaining, the captain consumed 41 deliveries for his 50, while Rizwan struck his 13 off 17 balls and didn’t score a single boundary.
Batting first, West Indies, the defending T20 World Cup champions, scored 130/7 and Pakistan scored the winning runs in 15.3 overs for the loss of three wickets, with in-form batter Fakhar Zaman smashing a 24-ball 46 at a strike rate of nearly 192.
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“Babar and Rizwan have played exceedingly well in the last couple of years but I still feel that they should increase their strike-rate,” said Inzamam-ul-Haq on his official YouTube channel on Tuesday.
T20 World Cup: Inzamam ul-Haq very concerned with Babar Azam and Mohd Rizwan’s strike rate ahead of India vs Pakistan clash
“Pakistan is relying heavily on Babar and Rizwan. If they don’t score at a good strike rate, the team will find itself in a difficult situation,” he added.
“They need to take advantage of the first six overs, especially in matches against good teams.”
With teams scoring big in Powerplays, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s below-average strike rate doesn’t quite enthuse the former captain.
“Pakistan chased down the total with more than three overs (more than four overs) to spare but that was largely due to Fakhar Zaman’s 24-ball 46,” he concluded.
Pakistan’s second and final warm-up match is against South Africa on October 20 in Abu Dhabi. They will begin their campaign in the tournament against India on October 24 in Dubai.
