Pakistan’s former cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja, in a YouTube video, criticised the Men in Green’s team management after youngsters Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah were left out of the side that faced England in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) on Friday.
The 58-year-old believed that a team cannot look ahead unless it gives youngsters a chance to express themselves in important encounters.
“The first T20I was impacted by rain and was abandoned however the team Pakistan fielded clarified that the Men in Green are not ready to let go of experience in the batting department. Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah could not find a place in the side. This was disappointing because in T20s, if you don’t go in with youth no matter how important the series, you will not be able to look ahead. You will keep relying on hits and misses,” Raja said.
“This is the world cup season where you should be trying out different combinations and then play a good team. Without youngsters, your combination will not be finely tuned. In the bowling department we keep experimenting with youngsters without hesitation but we only see negativity in the batting department. A youngster will not be fazed too much in important matches because he isn’t entering a field with excess baggage. In T20 you get the license to express yourself without much fear. This situation relaxes a batsman and he can perform well,” he added.
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Raja claimed that despite his disappointment with the makeup of the batting department, the bowling unit did a great job against a game England side.
“I was disappointed by this [batting] but Pakistan bowled well. They trapped England in the initial part of the match and then we saw an onslaught from the hosts, which was later reined in by the bowlers. I think the real contest is going to be England’s batsmen against our spinners. We will have to see how to go well in the matches going forward,” he concluded.
The second match of the series is on Sunday, August 30, while the final match will take place on Tuesday, September 1 — both in Manchester.