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Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Hesson reveals how Babar can return for T20 World Cup
ICC Pakistan coach Mike Hesson has revealed the path out of favour batter Babar Azam must take to earn a place in his plans for next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Babar hasn't featured in the shortest format for Pakistan since the end of last year and the right-hander was recently left out of the side's squad for the upcoming tri-series against UAE and Afghanistan and next month's Asia Cup. The former Pakistan captain looked in decent touch when he managed 47 from 64 deliveries during the opening match of Pakistan's recent ODI series against the West Indies in Trinidad, but a pair of failures (zero and nine) from the ensuing contests failed to grab the attention of selectors. Hesson suggested two key areas that Babar must address if he wishes to return to the international fold for the next edition of the T20 World Cup at the start of next year and has left the door ajar should the former Pakistan skipper be able to perform well during Australia's domestic Big Bash (BBL) competition in December and January. 'There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he's working really hard on,' Hesson said. 'But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games (against Bangladesh and West Indies) and won three Player of the Match awards. 'A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider.' The absence of Babar wasn't the only surprise in Hesson's squad for Pakistan's upcoming contests, with Mohammad Rizwan also missing out on the 17-player group as selectors opted to choose batters that consistently scored at a high strike rate. Hesson indicated it was important that players that had performed well in recent white-ball matches were rewarded and said that choosing batters that scored quickly would be part of his selection process going forward. 'We were challenged with three different surfaces (in recent matches against Bangladesh and West Indies)' Hesson said. 'In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top-order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well. 'The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 (138). We need that at a run rate that gets us ahead of the game. T20 is all about setting the game up and being ahead of the game all the time in case you get yourself out. From a batting point of view we've got a line-up that can continue to do that.' Pakistan squad for tri-series and Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan MoqimA potential lifeline for Babar Azam as he tries to win his place back in Pakistan's T20I side for next year's T20 World Cup.
Express Tribune
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
We were outplayed, admits Rizwan
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan says that he wanted take the game deep with Saud Shakeel but shot selection let them down. Photo: ICC Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan has admitted that fielding lapses and mistakes cost them the game against India in the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday. Pakistan are now on the verge of early Champions Trophy exit following a six-wicket defeat against India at Dubai International Stadium. Sharing his thoughts on the game, Rizwan said that Pakistan failed to capitalise on the toss advantage and credited India's bowlers for their disciplined performance. "We won the toss, but we didn't get the benefit of it. Their bowlers bowled very well. Saud Shakeel and I wanted to take the game deep, but our shot selection let us down. They put us under pressure," Rizwan stated. He admitted Pakistan's shortcomings in all departments, particularly in fielding, which proved costly. "Whenever you lose, it means you didn't perform well in all departments. We wanted to squeeze them, but we couldn't. Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game away from us. We need to improve in our fielding as we made a lot of mistakes," he added. 'Brainless management' Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhter lashed out at the management following a six wicket defeat against arch-rivals India in the eight-team tournament. He expressed his disappointment in a video posted on 'X,' stating that the team lacks clarity and strategic planning. "I am not disappointed because I already knew what was going to happen when you don't select a fifth bowler. The world is playing with six bowlers, and you can't even select five. You take two all-rounders with youI don't know what you're thinking," Akhtar said. The former pacer did not hold back in his criticism of Pakistan's team management, blaming them for flawed selection and tactical approach. "It's just a brainless and cruel management, and I am really disappointed. What can we even say about the players? The management is like this, so the players are the same. They have no clue what they are supposed to do," he said. "Intent is one thing, but they don't even understand their skillset. In fact, they don't even have a skillset. Do you think they will play lofted shots like Virat or Shubman? Really disappointing. Neither do they understand anything, nor does the management. They just went there to play," he added. While Pakistan struggled, Indian star batter Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock, scoring an unbeaten century to guide his side to victory. "Hats off to Virat Kohlihe is a superstar, a white-ball run chaser, a modern-day great. There is no doubt about it. And I am really happy for him. He is an honest guy. He has also completed 14,000 runs. This guy has achieved it all, and he deserves all the praise," Akhtar lauded. Points table India secured a dominating win over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy on Sunday at Dubai Cricket Stadium in UAE. This win puts them at the first position in the points table with four points. Their next challenge will be against New Zealand at the same venue on Sunday, March 2. Pakistan, on the other hand, will aim for their first points when they face Bangladesh on Thursday, 27 February at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Pakistan. Group A's next match is set for tomorrow Monday, February 24, between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners of each semi-final facing each other in the final, which will be held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 9. Final will move to Dubai if India qualifies for it.
