Zaman not suited for T20s, Imam plays for himself: Latif

Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has questioned the credentials of out-of-form opener Fakhar Zaman in the shortest form of the game.

Zaman is going through a horrid time in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), as he has scored only 110 runs at a miserable average of 9 runs in his last 12 T20I innings.

While speaking in a Youtube video, the former wicketkeeper-batsman said that Zaman does not deserve a place in Pakistan’s T20I side.

“Fakhar Zaman is not a T20 player. Apart from three or four innings, he has not played any noteworthy knock in T20 cricket,” said Latif. “His role in the T20I side is to be a dasher upfront, which is a difficult thing to do with his faulty technique.”

“On the other hand, he is a wonderful One-day International (ODI) player as he gets time to get going and capitalise during bowling changes,” he added.

ALSO READ: Rizwan good enough to replace Sarfaraz: Riaz

Latif also believes that the inclusion of opener Imamul Haq is unlikely to benefit the Men in Green in the third T20I against Australia.

“Imam will play for himself and score his runs, but his strike-rate will be low,” he said. “With his inclusion, Pakistan is likely to be 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay, whereas their total score will be around 140 only.”

The 51-year-old also called for the inclusion of left-hand batsman Khushdil Shah and young pacers Mohammad Hasnain and Musa Khan.

“They should play Khushdil, Hasnain and Musa in the third T20I. Throw them in the fire and see how they cope to the challenge,” he said. “The inclusion of Hasnain and Musa will also bring variety to the bowling attack which only has left-arm pacers right now.”

Australia lead the ongoing three-match T20I series one-nil after winning the second encounter, in Canberra, by seven wickets. The opening match of the series, in Sydney, was washed out due to rain.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE