He believes Agha, Shadab and Nawaz should be allowed to settle with World Cup imminent
\n Islamabad
\nWith only a few ODIs left to play ahead of the 50-over World Cup, Imam-ul-Haq has advised against experimenting with Pakistan\u2019s underperforming middle order, even though the team has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match series against New Zealand. Imam, the player of the match in the third ODI, was especially not convinced by the option of playing Iftikhar Ahmed or Mohammad Haris as power-hitters in the middle overs.
\n\u201cTo be honest I don\u2019t think so because we don\u2019t have time to do experiments,\u201d he said. \u201cWith Agha [Salman], Shadab [Khan], and [Mohammad] Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting to improvise. It\u2019s just a matter of giving them confidence. Their stats aren\u2019t as big as we have in the top three and it\u2019s tough for them because they get five to six overs but their chip-in is impactful and useful.\u201d
\nPakistan have largely relied on their top three, consisting of Imam, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, who have scored 62.6% of the team\u2019s runs – the highest among all nations – since the 2019 ODI World Cup. They average 19 runs per dismissal more than the rest of their batting – which is also the highest for any team. The Imam-Babar partnership reaped an average of 89.83 including six hundred-run stands; Fakhar-Babar and Fakhar-Imam, meanwhile, have put on 817 and 812 runs respectively.
\nOn the other hand, Pakistan\u2019s middle order has failed to consistently build on the platform set by the top order. The batters between No. 4 and No. 7 have averaged 26.9, marginally lower than West Indies, whose middle-order batters average 26.2. While Imam said he preferred to have a settled line-up with the bat given there\u2019s an ODI World Cup around the corner, he noted that their bowlers needed to strike more often in the middle overs.
\n\u201cBoth Nawaz and Shadab are outstanding allrounders so we have to give them the confidence,\u201d Imam said. \u201cBabar might be thinking differently but that is what I feel. We have only two games left and it\u2019s really very important to go into a bigger tournament, you have to be settled as much as you can with your main players. We have very less cricket and I don\u2019t think we have enough time to find a workaround.
\n\u201cBut I feel within 11 to 35 overs we need to take wickets in them and we aren\u2019t able to fetch enough. Sometimes, I feel this is missing and if our spinners in the middle start taking wickets then the match will be a lot more in our control. Today [last night], we took wickets in middle overs hence we managed to reduce them to under 270. So going forward I think fielding and fitness is another department we should make a difference. Catches on crucial stages become very important.\u201d
\nPakistan\u2019s squad for the New Zealand series features many players with strong ODI records in recent years, thus increasing their chances of securing a spot in the World Cup roster. Their team combination, however, has forced a lot of top-order players – including Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris – to drop down to the middle order. When asked if the competition threatens his place, Imam said his ability to handle pressure has helped him remain relevant.
\n\u201cWhen you play for Pakistan, you find yourself under pressure in every situation and coming out of it is something that defines you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to handle pressure and that is where you create a difference. Everyone is very talented and all the new openers making their way into the side are good and it automatically creates a sense of competition within. You always remain on your toes, you have to notch up the level of your performance and keep up your fitness, and with everyone around, it creates healthy competition which is good for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He believes Agha, Shadab and Nawaz should be allowed to settle with World Cup imminent Islamabad With only a few ODIs left to play ahead of the 50-over World Cup, Imam-ul-Haq has advised against experimenting with Pakistan\u2019s underperforming middle order, even though the team has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match series against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-329401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n