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Pakistan Cricket Team have been the epicentre of controversies and mismanagement ever since the ODI World Cup in 2023. The Green Shirts have had a tough time in sorting their plans and aims out, after failing to qualify for the knockout rounds once again, since their last in 2011 ODI WC.
In what has been a torrid seven months since the World Cup, Pakistan have had chopping and changing in almost every aspect of the first-team squad and staff.
Pakistan elected and later sacked Mohammad Hafeez, as the First Team Director. Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie were later appointed as Head Coaches for white-ball and red-ball formats respectively.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed and subsequently sacked, as the white-ball-formats captain, and Shan Masood saw the same fate in the red-ball format. Babar Azam was eventually settled as the skipper for all formats, just like during the time of the ODI World Cup 2023.
That has not been it. The batting order of players has been changed, and unchanged, as well. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been asked to bat at different positions, after batting together at the start of the innings, for quite some time.
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Ramiz Raja spoke to reporters about Pakistan’s opening combination at the upcoming T20I World Cup. The former Pakistan international cast his doubts over youngster Saim Ayub being the opener at an ICC tournament.
The 61-year-old spoke on how Pakistan Management will have to take a call on the southpaw’s position in the squad after he failed to impress on the numerous chances given to him. Raja has instead suggested the PCB go ahead with the settled opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
He said,
I don’t think Saim Ayub is a secure opener. The team management has to understand there’s no point unsettling Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s opening fair. Saim has failed a lot of times, and Pakistan have to take a call on him.
Babar Azam has been batting at the third position, with Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan opening the innings for Pakistan. It has been reported that Head Coach Gary Kirsten has preferred to go the ‘Mohammad-Hafeez way’ by promoting Saim Ayub ahead of Babar Azam in the opening position.
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Pakistan will play their third and final T20I of the bilateral series against Ireland on Tuesday. In what has been an entertaining tournament so far, both teams would aim to win the tournament-decider, after being level at 1-1 in the first two games in Dublin.
The final game of the series will be played on Tuesday, May 14. The match will be held at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin, with the action starting at 19:30 hours IST.
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Mohit Khakhar is a content producer for The Sporting News India.
