I am a big Sharjeel fan make no mistakes but stats dont lie, Rizwan is better at the moment for pakistan and has been performing for pakistan for the last year like Sharjeel never did before his ban. He was a regular before the ban but couldnt have the stats which Rizwan has. I do believe sharjeel should be in the squad but there is no need to hate Rizwan I can’t understand some people who hate Rizwan because Sharjeel is not playing.
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“Babar Azam and I often get criticized for our strike-rate in the T20 format" : Mohammad Rizwan
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I am a big Sharjeel fan make no mistakes but stats dont lie, Rizwan is better at the moment for pakistan and has been performing for pakistan for the last year like Sharjeel never did before his ban. He was a regular before the ban but couldnt have the stats which Rizwan has. I do believe sharjeel should be in the squad but there is no need to hate Rizwan I can’t understand some people who hate Rizwan because Sharjeel is not playing.
If its about Sharjeel, Rana has no standards or boundaries lol
Rana
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Aaa here we go again. When you run out of arguments and logic, start the mud slinging and character assassination.
He’s done his time, he was allowed to come back by the previous management and the same prime minister of Pakistan who approved the appointment of the chairman before Ramiz and Ramiz also.
On performance and actual ability as an opener, Rizwan isn’t better than Sharjeel or Fakhar.
KingKhan12
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I don't hate Rizwan he is a must in Pakistan team and t20s better. But as opener him and Babar don't make the cut. One of them should open and one can come 3.
But Pakistan cricket board lot have always been useless they love accommodating players never cared about team wins or balance.
Its not Rizwans fault and I really like him it's captain and board lot. Its common sense openers open not accomdate people.
OneManShow
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Mud slinging? That would be the case if both my statements were incorrect. Were they? And Ramiz has stated on numerous occasions that he feels convicted fixers should never represent their country again. There must be a deterrent in place and I fully support Ramiz's stance in this matter. Sharjeel can consider himself lucky that's he's able to play domestic cricket again.
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Former Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq is unimpressed with the strike-rate of the Men in Green skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
Speaking after the conclusion of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup warm-up game against West Indies in Dubai, which the Babar-led unit won by seven wickets, Inzamam said that Pakistan’s openers need to improve their rate of scoring.
“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 on his official YouTube channel.
“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.”
Babar scored 50 runs off 41 balls, while Rizwan added 13 runs off 17 balls as Pakistan chased down 131-run target in 15.3 overs.
“Pakistan chased down the total with more than three overs to spare but that was largely due to Fakhar Zaman’s 24-ball 46,” he concluded.
https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/n...ed-to-improve-their-strike-rate-inzamamul-haq
Speaking after the conclusion of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup warm-up game against West Indies in Dubai, which the Babar-led unit won by seven wickets, Inzamam said that Pakistan’s openers need to improve their rate of scoring.
“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 on his official YouTube channel.
“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.”
Babar scored 50 runs off 41 balls, while Rizwan added 13 runs off 17 balls as Pakistan chased down 131-run target in 15.3 overs.
“Pakistan chased down the total with more than three overs to spare but that was largely due to Fakhar Zaman’s 24-ball 46,” he concluded.
https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/n...ed-to-improve-their-strike-rate-inzamamul-haq
Usman Chadda
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Not sure why we are worrying so much. This WC will not see scores in excess of 160, and Babar-Rizwan are incredible in chases around that score. As long as the bowling does not mess up, our batting is strong enough to support it.
Rana
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A very destructive pair in world cricket!!!
Rana
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Only PCB will sell its gullible fans the lie that stability and runs are the way to go.
Look at how Afghanistan’s Zazai and Shahzad are batting and look at how Pakistan think it’s ok to have two accumulators opening the batting
Look at how Afghanistan’s Zazai and Shahzad are batting and look at how Pakistan think it’s ok to have two accumulators opening the batting
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Babar strike rate slow but as long as he can pick it up later - we should be fine
Bewal Express
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Babar strike was fine in the circumstances of the game but that shot when RK had one ball left( and we were cruising it) was a shocking piece of cricket and AA saved him from some deserved vitriol.
Fahdi
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Genuinely struggled against the Afghan spinners but didn't want to take too many risks in order to anchor the innings till the end. But had the most bizarre brain fades in the Rashid Khan over, almost as if the Akmal blood in him took over. Never seen him pull a stunt like this before, twice in 2 deliveries.
Bewal Express
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Shocking thinking. It was an ego shot, as if he felt humiliated by RK and wanted to show him who is boss.
Asif321
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Rashid owned Babar today . One dropped catch one review save and finally bowled
Sycamore
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Yep, it was a combination of not having hit the big shots all innings, last ball from a spin bowler and the fact that him and rashid like to challenge one another. Definite ego at play, didn't expect that from Bobby.
Completely agreed it was nothing else other then ego.
fight_club
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Enough of these dead power play and snail pace chases which would have cost Pakistan two matches.
Those who are obsessed about records and all must look at the average PP scores of Pakistan and Babar strike rate during PP. He is a perfect no.3 who can play authentic cricket has enough class to keep it knocking in the gaps and punish anything loose.
Fakhar is looking in great touch but has no clue how to play at no.3 get him to open get a left right combination and let him hit it.
Enough
Those who are obsessed about records and all must look at the average PP scores of Pakistan and Babar strike rate during PP. He is a perfect no.3 who can play authentic cricket has enough class to keep it knocking in the gaps and punish anything loose.
Fakhar is looking in great touch but has no clue how to play at no.3 get him to open get a left right combination and let him hit it.
Enough
Nothing wrong with that thinking but it was the timing that was poor. No need to take a risk at that point as it was RK's last delivery.
Babar should have gone big prior to then though. This wasn't a good innings
Babar isn't a strong player against spin, so the odds were always stacked against him. Doesn't matter when your team ends up winning though
WC-Passion
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It was a good innings as the anchor from Babar. The last two shots were bizarre, although with Malik and Ali left it wasn't too horrible of a decision to go for a few big risks to help get the RR down, still would consider them strange as at the time the idea clearly seemed not to target Rashid and instead go for the pacers.
I think people are incredibly kneejerk about SR, just because its T20 doesn't mean you need everyone batting at a SR of 150+.
I think people are incredibly kneejerk about SR, just because its T20 doesn't mean you need everyone batting at a SR of 150+.
Bewal Express
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Babar did everything right upto that point but his ego nearly cost us the game.
I am afraid not playing at least 1 aggressive opener will eventually cost Pakistan the trophy. They strangely did not take their most aggressive opener (Sharjeel Khan) to the tournament; what they can do now is at least play their 2nd most aggressive opener (Fakhar Zaman) as an opener. Its not rocket science: there are only 2 players fielding outside the circle when you are batting in first 6 overs; take advantage of it.
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Rana
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This tactic is completely wrong.
They must target the powerplay. TBF Rizwan did want to but was caught for once in his life at deep square leg.
They must target the powerplay. TBF Rizwan did want to but was caught for once in his life at deep square leg.
Uzi
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His timing was off today and hence was picking out the fielders consistently, but he did a half decent job in keeping things together until he had a brain malfunction. The way he got out was ludicrous and you wouldn't expect that from him. That gave the Afghans a real sniff.
IMMY69
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Babar played superbly today.
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Bewal Express
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Up until he got out, he did everything right but as insaid earlier, he felt out done by RK and his ego could have cost the game. It felt like with Viv and Lillee, where Viv was so desperate to destroy Lillee, he let his ego get in the way of big runs
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He seemed way off the mark today and the way he got bowled was disastrous. Thats not the way the set batsman should be playing in that situation. He had to defend one ball of Rashid and then cash in. May have been a blessing in disguise because it indirectly lead to a Pakistan win.
Overall theres no sugar coating it he didnt have a good day today
Overall theres no sugar coating it he didnt have a good day today
Remember Pakistan is winning matches because of their bowling. In all 3 games Pakistan have bowled first and have restricted the opposition to below par score basically setting up Pakistan for win. This has make it easier for their openers. These are the stats for the first 6 overs of Power Play:
These are not great stats, no score over 50, only 1 score over 40. They need to be better.
If for once Pakistan bowlers failed and opposition score 180+ then Pakistan will have a hard time winning with scoring the above way in PP overs.
- vs India: Runs: 43, Wicket: 0, Run Rate: 7.16
- vs New Zealand: Runs: 30, Wicket: 1, Run Rate: 5.00
- vs Afghanistan: Runs: 38, Wicket: 1, Run Rate: 6.33
These are not great stats, no score over 50, only 1 score over 40. They need to be better.
If for once Pakistan bowlers failed and opposition score 180+ then Pakistan will have a hard time winning with scoring the above way in PP overs.
Last Monetarist
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Rizwan "All of the boxes have been ticked so far and I request all our fans to stay positive and remember us in their prayers. We are working very hard and the rest is up to the Almighty" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1455593099405705224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
nads_rocks
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This that says it all. For once we have such a solid opening combo where we can rely on a partnership building rather than batsman falling like dominoes.
Savak
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Babar and Rizwan should look to accelerate much earlier in the future
It is criminal with so many batting options down the order that Babar and Rizwan were still looking to play at a run a ball from Overs 6 to 12. In contrast Warner and Marsh looked to make full use of the powerplay and Australia made 89 in 10 overs in comparison. Because of the fast start provided by Warner, the likes of Wade and Stoinas were able to take their time before teeing off at the end.
The team management needs to either tell Babar or Rizwan that by the seventh over onwards, you either need to start playing your shots or get out but no more wasting balls.
It is criminal with so many batting options down the order that Babar and Rizwan were still looking to play at a run a ball from Overs 6 to 12. In contrast Warner and Marsh looked to make full use of the powerplay and Australia made 89 in 10 overs in comparison. Because of the fast start provided by Warner, the likes of Wade and Stoinas were able to take their time before teeing off at the end.
The team management needs to either tell Babar or Rizwan that by the seventh over onwards, you either need to start playing your shots or get out but no more wasting balls.
FastBowlingAllrounder
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Both of them should look to play their shots. If they click, we'll make a big total, if not then one of them will get out and the remaining one can anchor while the guys coming in (Asif Ali, Fakhar, etc.) can play their shots without worrying about wickets. I feel Fakhar also tried to bat too deep last night and started hitting out about an over too late.
Need to bat to #9 in T20s nowadays. A 20 off 10 has more value than a 30 off 25.
Buffet
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Both bat around 120 SR. I guess that's their limit. If they try to play much faster they won't last.
I guess it probably works for Pakistan, but I think it's far better to be 175/6 in 17 overs than 150/3 in T20 games.
I guess it probably works for Pakistan, but I think it's far better to be 175/6 in 17 overs than 150/3 in T20 games.
Buffet
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What was SR of Babar and Rizwan in this WC?
Giannis
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I concur, I posted this earlier
ethan hunt
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Yes.
Good batsmen but underutilization of resources is a problem batting first.
71 - 0 of 10 makes no sense, especially after a good power play.
Good batsmen but underutilization of resources is a problem batting first.
71 - 0 of 10 makes no sense, especially after a good power play.
jnaveen1980
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On these pitches where the par score was around 150 this batting was perfect. Pakistan never has starting troubles. They comfortably start the innings in almost every match. Remarkable consistency. But acceleration doesn't come naturally to everyone. Some get better and better as the innings go. Some hits a ceiling and stops going anywhere.
marlonbrowndo
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Completely agree. We still don’t completely understand how to play T20 cricket when batting first (most teams don’t to be fair). This does not get exposed while chasing a target.
Agree. We still have this old school mentality that we play slowly at the start, but look to accelerate in the final few overs. This approach is outdated and we need to score at a brisk rate for the entirety of the innings. We needed at least a score of 190 against Australia, but because of Babar and Rizwan playing so slowly, we feel short by 15 runs which ultimately proved to be costly in the end.
The platfirm was great if anything the zampa 3 and 4th over and cummins last were the only problem,but that happens the bowlers are here to play too
We lost it at the end hasan shouldn't have bowled 4 overs and catch the ball,stoinis or any next batsmens coming wouldn't have been able to do anything to shaheen 145+ yorkers.
We lost it at the end hasan shouldn't have bowled 4 overs and catch the ball,stoinis or any next batsmens coming wouldn't have been able to do anything to shaheen 145+ yorkers.
shokz1408
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Yeah with 9-10 wickets in hand, you got to be accelerating much more, where you expect a winning score may be in the region of 180-200. There was plenty of dot balls, and run a ball stuff, that needs work. When you are so far ahead of the game, you should take advantage of that.
I’m intrigued to see how high scoring the next t20 World Cup in Aus will be, I still feel more teams chasing will win when they know how to pace their innings. But it will be interesting to see what are the defendable scores there, I still think regardless of the country, a team to feel comfortable they have to score between 180-200 against top opposition. Anything less seems a walk in the park for these players who play t20 cricket all around the world in various leagues.
I’m intrigued to see how high scoring the next t20 World Cup in Aus will be, I still feel more teams chasing will win when they know how to pace their innings. But it will be interesting to see what are the defendable scores there, I still think regardless of the country, a team to feel comfortable they have to score between 180-200 against top opposition. Anything less seems a walk in the park for these players who play t20 cricket all around the world in various leagues.
Savak
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We screwed up by not making the most of Maxwell and Zampas overs.
jeeteshssaxena
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126 and 127 respectively.
After 15 overs we were 117/1 and Australia were 115/5. Both teams played with a different approach and both teams in terms of scores were in a similiar position.
Our loss has nothing to do with the way Babar and Rizwan opened. If you don't wanna blame our bowling or fielding however than you can attribute it to the fact that the 18th over by Pat cummins only went for 3 runs and the 15th over by Zampa only went for 5
Our loss has nothing to do with the way Babar and Rizwan opened. If you don't wanna blame our bowling or fielding however than you can attribute it to the fact that the 18th over by Pat cummins only went for 3 runs and the 15th over by Zampa only went for 5
Buffet
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Missed the point totally here.
Point is that Aus was still in a similar position in runs despite losing wickets. Pakistan lost only 1 wicket and yet did not try to score faster. There is no brownie point for not losing wickets. You can make better use of all the batmen available rather than preserve wickets.
Nope, it does not mean that you try to score 200+ in each game, but if you have a good start then you make it count by taking a calculated risk. If you did not lose a wicket in the first 6 overs and got good runs, then it is a crazy idea to play it slow in the next 4-5 overs despite having 10 wickets in hands. What's the point of those wickets.
Buffet
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Right in the range where they play. On average, they simply can't play much faster. If they try then they will get out.
My point is that after 15 overs even after their more explosive start, both Pakistan and Australia were batting at the same rate with Pakistan having more wickets at end.
We had the advantage at this stage and one more wicket would have probably meant the end of the game and a win for us.
We lost the game not due to poor batting upfront or in the middle overs but due to poor fielding, poor death bowling and 2 overs (Zampa and Cummins) in the last 5 that went for less than 6 runs.
Buffet
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Oh, I am not criticizing a strategy based on results. You can have different outcomes despite your strategy, but you increase your chance of winning by better strategy.
If you are 50/0 after 6 overs then it will be crazy to not score fast in the next 6 overs. Scoring faster, even it means you lose 2 wickets in the next 6 overs, is the right strategy.
Aus did not have an explosive start. They just had an average start and lost plenty of wickets. If they had an explosive start without losing a wicket then the game would have finished much earlier. Pakistan had a very good start without losing wickets, but failed to capitalize on that by playing is slow in the next phase.
Babar messed up here got out with the score on 71 after 10 overs on a flat wicket this showed his limitations unable to quicken against better bowling.
In the post match interview he should’ve mentioned this as the team was clearly 15 runs short and Australia with different batsmen not firing still won comfortably.
zulfiqar
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Babar and Rizwan are EASILY the best limited overs batsman that Pakistan has at the moment. But that does not mean they are immune to criticism. It's precisely because they are the best batsmen in the team that the expectations of them are high. They do in fact bat slower than they should at times and the problem isn't so much that they don't have the ability - that's what irks me. It's frustrating to hear people say that we simply "don't have any aggressive batsmen" when that's not the case. Babar and Rizwan are more than capable of raising their S/R (Rizwan especially); it's just about their mindset and strategy from the outset. They've played plenty of innings where they are well on their way to getting the team 200+ runs - so we need to see more of that.
Fair enough. It’s good to be critical of guys like Babar and Rizwan who do have areas which they should look to improve on and help further strengthen a decent looking team. Just annoying that any critique one makes about them is used as ammunition by some of our “great” fans
With some easier tours coming up plus the PSL both should look to find ways to make their game more dynamic in order for us to have a chance next year in Australia
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1000 in a year
Mohammad Rizwan’s 67 off 52 balls couldn’t take his team to the final, but during the course of the innings he became the first batter in T20I history to score 1000 runs in a calendar year.
Rizwan has 1033 runs at an average of 86.08 and a strike-rate of 136.45 in T20Is in 2021, while his opening partner Babar Azam is second on the list with 826 runs at an average of 43.47 and a strike-rate of 130.28.
And Pakistan’s team doctor revealed after the match that Rizwan had a chest infection and spent two nights in ICU before the semi-final against Australia.
Rizwan (1743 runs) and Babar (1666) are also the two highest run-getters in all T20s this year.
Mohammad Rizwan’s 67 off 52 balls couldn’t take his team to the final, but during the course of the innings he became the first batter in T20I history to score 1000 runs in a calendar year.
Rizwan has 1033 runs at an average of 86.08 and a strike-rate of 136.45 in T20Is in 2021, while his opening partner Babar Azam is second on the list with 826 runs at an average of 43.47 and a strike-rate of 130.28.
And Pakistan’s team doctor revealed after the match that Rizwan had a chest infection and spent two nights in ICU before the semi-final against Australia.
Rizwan (1743 runs) and Babar (1666) are also the two highest run-getters in all T20s this year.
KingKhan12
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Exactly. I rather Pakistan were 130-4 in 15 overs then 117 for 1. Pakistan could been 130+ easily could lost a wicket or two doing that but its the way Pakistan been batting and I knew this would also be a factor in one of the games.
Wow. Inzamamul Haq saw it coming that openers slow batting will cost Pakistan
Buffet
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Some posters may start saying that Pakistan will get bowled out for 130 if they try to be aggressive from start. I don't think that's true, but I was not even making that point. Pakistan already had one of the best starts with all wickets in hands. In a given situation, there was absolutely no need to preserve 10 wickets in the next 5-6 overs.
Playing aggressively has very little risk if you have all wickets in hands with 50 runs. You are not likely to get bowled out in the next 12-14 overs left in the game. It may happen once in a blue moon, but chances are pretty slim. If you lose quick 2-3 wickets, you can always change your strategy, but I don't think trying to save all wickets and playing slow after such a good start make any sense given there are only 20 overs.
It is not about the result. Playing slow would have been the wrong strategy even if Pakistan would have won the game. It is not about the total score. Pakistan would have probably happily taken 175 runs if offered before the match started. It is about not trying to get more when it was possible to get more.
Many of us mix outcome with strategy. The strategy does not become great just because you got some good outcomes. The strategy does not become bad just because you got some bad outcomes. Strategies can be judged independently.
The Babar and Rizwan opening combo, to me, is more about reliably putting a platform for other strikers down the order to tee off of. Overall I've never had an issue with it but at the same time with the next T20 WC being in Australia next year, I think it's about time Pakistan need to look at an explosive batter to be paired with Babar/Rizwan. Something like a Fakhar/Haider with Rizwan, and then Babar at 3. Although, if Pakistan still persist with Babar-Riz combo, which I suspect they will, they need to make sure that: 1) they improve their overall power hitting more to take advantage of the powerplay better, and 2) to let them know when to appropriately tee off so that overs aren't wasted (this shouldn't be a problem as Babar and Rizwan are reliably capable of setting a platform before getting to that point).
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Look at the no. of innings each played as well.
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Babar Azam-led Pakistan maintained their supremacy in the shorter format of the game, completing a clean sweep over West Indies in the recently-concluded three-match series.
The series saw Pakistan completing their highest run-chase in T20Is when they chased down 208 with more than a over to spare. In the contest, Mohammad Rizwan smoked 87 off 45 balls, while his opening partner and captain Babar chipped in with 53-ball 79 as the pair put 158 for the first wicket.
It was their fourth 150-plus stand as an opening pair, all of which came in 2021. The stand was also their second-highest as a pair after their partnership of 197 against South Africa earlier this year.
Delighted with the performance, former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif compared by the duo with the Indian counterpart.
“About a year ago, we used to say that Pakistan doesn’t have players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul especially in T20 cricket. But I think, after some time, Indians will also say that we don’t have players like [Mohammad] Rizwan and Babar [Azam],” said Latif on PTV Sports.
He also praised the duo for improving their strike-rate as compared to previous years.
“Earlier, we also had our reservations about their scoring rate but they made up for it by pacing their innings perfectly,” he further stated.
This was also Babar's 20th 50-plus score in T20 cricket in this calendar year, which is the most by any cricketer.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...n-cricketer-rashid-latif-101639893011580.html
The series saw Pakistan completing their highest run-chase in T20Is when they chased down 208 with more than a over to spare. In the contest, Mohammad Rizwan smoked 87 off 45 balls, while his opening partner and captain Babar chipped in with 53-ball 79 as the pair put 158 for the first wicket.
It was their fourth 150-plus stand as an opening pair, all of which came in 2021. The stand was also their second-highest as a pair after their partnership of 197 against South Africa earlier this year.
Delighted with the performance, former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif compared by the duo with the Indian counterpart.
“About a year ago, we used to say that Pakistan doesn’t have players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul especially in T20 cricket. But I think, after some time, Indians will also say that we don’t have players like [Mohammad] Rizwan and Babar [Azam],” said Latif on PTV Sports.
He also praised the duo for improving their strike-rate as compared to previous years.
“Earlier, we also had our reservations about their scoring rate but they made up for it by pacing their innings perfectly,” he further stated.
This was also Babar's 20th 50-plus score in T20 cricket in this calendar year, which is the most by any cricketer.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...n-cricketer-rashid-latif-101639893011580.html
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Going well at the moment Rizwan.
RedwoodOriginal
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Strike-rate brigade getting a rude awakening.
Both batters were striking over 130 in the PP. Babar was at 160 today.
Both batters were striking over 130 in the PP. Babar was at 160 today.
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Riz seemed to have hurt his knee also
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Mohammad Rizwan:
"If we [Me and Babar] don’t compete, Pakistan team’s performance will go down because we play in the top-order. It also makes things easier for players coming after us. This is a healthy competition for the Pakistan team"
"If we [Me and Babar] don’t compete, Pakistan team’s performance will go down because we play in the top-order. It also makes things easier for players coming after us. This is a healthy competition for the Pakistan team"
Rana
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Coward
Pakistan can have plenty of opening combinations without Babar and Rizwan, but they do not have a single reliable middle order 3 if Malik and Hafeez are not there to bail them out!
The coward is a middle order failure and projects himself as a top order Messiah!
Abstraction1
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Aur ro, beta, aur ro.
The ICC ranks say otherwise [MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION].
Unless you can offer quantifiable data to back up your claim of better alternatives, your manic ranting doesn't mean anything.
Do better.
Rana
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Rizwan isn’t a middle order failure?
In odis yes but in t20s he hasn't playrd enough in the middle order.
Rana
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He can’t bat in the middle or lower order. He needs 10-15 balls to get going and this cannot be afforded to him in the middle of an innings in ODI or T20 because it shifts the entire momentum to the bowling side.
Pakistan can list 10 different openers in T20 but hardly anyone to take responsibility in the middle if Malik and Hafeez are gone for good
He bats in the middle overs in tests and has done well.i agree he does need time to get going.yes we can list but I don't think they will get the stats that rizwan has had in t20s opening.
Sher Khan
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Why this Babar-Rizwan Strike rate issue is nonsense
I struggle to understand the logic behind taking a dig at Babar and Rizwan for maintaining a slow strike rate. So I had a look at some stats today.
Both Babar and Rizwan have a career strike rate of 129 in T20is. We have some former cricketers sitting on TV and criticising these two. The likes of Umar Akmal, Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were considered "aggressive batsmen". Now both Akmal and Hafeez have a strike rate of 122, whereas Malik's is 126. All in, comparatively lower than Babar and Rizwan.
The less said about the strike rates of our modern day middle order finishers the better.
Then why the criticism?
I struggle to understand the logic behind taking a dig at Babar and Rizwan for maintaining a slow strike rate. So I had a look at some stats today.
Both Babar and Rizwan have a career strike rate of 129 in T20is. We have some former cricketers sitting on TV and criticising these two. The likes of Umar Akmal, Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were considered "aggressive batsmen". Now both Akmal and Hafeez have a strike rate of 122, whereas Malik's is 126. All in, comparatively lower than Babar and Rizwan.
The less said about the strike rates of our modern day middle order finishers the better.
Then why the criticism?
jnaveen1980
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Not defending them. But Malik started his career way back in 1999. Played T20 when it was in infancy stage. Strike rate was a little low back then for the most.
Ab Fan
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Strike rate is not an independent factor. A lot of players will have high strike rate when they get to that 30-40 zone and score more runs.
Had Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik or Hafeez maintained an average of 35-40, their strike rate would have been 130+ too( which is equivalent to 135 in today's era). But they weren't consistent and hence ended with lower strike rate( also different era factor which already someone said above).
Anyways, I think Pakistan's major concern is middle order, they are simply too bad as someone posted the stats of average and strike rate this year for batting position 4-6. For a major cricket nation, you can't afford to have that average like 16-17 and strike rate 121.
Had Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik or Hafeez maintained an average of 35-40, their strike rate would have been 130+ too( which is equivalent to 135 in today's era). But they weren't consistent and hence ended with lower strike rate( also different era factor which already someone said above).
Anyways, I think Pakistan's major concern is middle order, they are simply too bad as someone posted the stats of average and strike rate this year for batting position 4-6. For a major cricket nation, you can't afford to have that average like 16-17 and strike rate 121.
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FearlessRoar
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Mohammad Rizwan, while addressing the press conference ahead of the first match of the Tri-Nation ODI series against New Zealand:
"Everyone has their own opinion, but as players, we focus on what’s best for the team."
"T20I cricket requires a balance between aggression and stability."
"We play according to the match situation, and our priority is to win games, not just focus on individual stats."
"Everyone has their own opinion, but as players, we focus on what’s best for the team."
"T20I cricket requires a balance between aggression and stability."
"We play according to the match situation, and our priority is to win games, not just focus on individual stats."
Rana
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