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Pakistan will struggle on England tour: Aaqib Javed

The 48-year-old believed that winning against England on their home ground was a very tough task

Pakistan will struggle on England tour: Aaqib Javed PHOTO: Reuters

Pakistan’s former cricketer Aqib Javed, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan on Saturday, stated that Pakistan will struggle in the upcoming matches against England on their home turf.

The 48-year-old believed that winning against England on their home ground was a very tough task.

“Winning against England in England is a very tough task. Pakistan’s team seems to be in rebuilding mode. We don’t know who is going to play and who is going to be left out. The good thing about the team is Mohammad Rizwan’s phenomenal performances. But the way they have selected the team is beyond my understanding. They have four openers in the squad. Where are they going to play them? If you see that Babar Azam has scored a lot of runs, then Fakhar Zaman has also performed really well. Rizwan is in the form of his life and they have selected Sharjeel Khan as well,” Javed said.

“Now where are they going to play these four batsmen? I have seen them play Fakhar at four in the past. What is there planning? Does no one in Pakistan know how to bat at those positions? You make a composition where you have options for each spot in the lineup. I think we will see a very strange batting order in the upcoming matches,” he added.

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The former cricketer also talked about the incident between pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sarfaraz Ahmed during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6 fixture, stating that he did not think Shaheen did anything wrong.

“The gestures of a fast bowler are natural. There was an incident between Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah. I think Shaheen didn’t do any wrong in that exchange. If a bouncer hit the batsman’s head, then you can't really ask a bowler to apologise if he is going back to his mark,” he said.

“The umpires and match referee also added unnecessary pressure on him. I asked Aleem Dar that you know Quetta bowlers go through a lot when he [Sarfaraz] is behind the stumps. We will talk to Shaheen but you should also have a chat with Sarfaraz regarding the matter. Is there no code of conduct if you abuse and insult someone in front of the cameras? I think there should be controlled aggression,” he concluded.