Shoaib Akhtar urges Haider Ali to become 'mature and responsible’

Pakistan’s legendary former pacer Shoaib Akhtar urged struggling batsman Haider Ali to become mature and play responsibly after a dismal showing by the explosive youngster during the recently concluded Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa.

The 45-year-old believed that Haider did not understand the situation sometimes while stating that it was not important to hit boundaries on each ball.

“Haider Ali does not understand the situation sometimes. It is not always important to hit big, sometimes you run through the game. You try to handle some situations with maturity and try to ease off certain parts. It could come through running between the wickets and adding pressure on the opposition. You don’t always have to try to get fours and sixes. You can tap and take two so that you can shock the field. I think he needs to learn this side of the game as well,” Akhtar said.

ALSO READ: Asif Ali, Haider Ali should be given more opportunities: Younis Khan

“He is a young guy and a prospect for Pakistan. But he has to mature soon. This maturity is very important since if he doesn’t mature then he will not receive too many chances. I would encourage him to be more responsible. The team requires more match-winning performances from Haider Ali,” he added.

The Rawalpindi Express however claimed that there was no need to panic as Pakistan had a set squad.

“I don’t think we need to panic too much. Our squad is set. It is set because we know what we need to do. There is a lot to look into as far as our middle order is concerned. We need to see who are the set players for our middle and lower order batting. We will continue to struggle until we can sort that out,” he said.