Pakistan’s former cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja, in a YouTube video on Sunday, criticised the slow batting of opener Imamul Haq which cost Balochistan their match against Sindh during their National T20 Cup encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

The 58-year-old stated that keeping wickets in hand was now an old strategy and every team needed to use all options at their disposal in terms of batting.

“Imamul Haq made an unbeaten 92 but still his team lost. Nowadays, a big partnership at the top of the order does not guarantee victory. If you make 170 for the loss of three wickets, than you are wasting the option of the other seven batsmen. If you make 92 and your team still loses than that means your pace was slow,” Raja said.

“Balochistan did ball and field badly as well which resulted in the wasting of Imam’s innings but the opener and his type of batsmen should also think if they had just scored 10 to 15 more runs, it could have won them the match. Keeping wickets in hand is now an old strategy,” he added.

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The former cricketer believed that conditions were tougher in Rawalpindi for batting which is why the batsmen would need to change their perspective to batting.

“I think as soon as the National T20 Cup shifted from Multan to Rawalpindi, the batting has come under pressure. It is payback time in Pindi for what the batsmen did on the flat pitches of Multan. These pitches have grass and bounce. It troubles openers more and batting first in an afternoon game is a big challenge. Our players however are intent on playing it like a T20 and not even wait for two balls before going at it. They will need to change their mindset because the conditions have changed,” he said.