Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf from left to right. (File photo)
Pakistan is going to play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The Men in Green have announced their squad for the tour and have made a few surprise choices. The side has dropped the leading run-scorer in T20Is, Babar Azam, bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, who are all part of the ongoing Big Bash League in Australia. Additionally, wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan is also dropped from the team. Intrestingly Shadab Khan, who happens to be a part of the BBL team Sydney Thunder, returns to the side.
Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq
Despite racking up 4429with an average close to 40, Babar’s middling 128.45 strike rate came in the way of a crucial top-order spot in the shortest format in recent times. Earlier in an interview, Mike Hesson also clarified that he had not mentioned that only players with a strike rate north of 150 will be considered for T20Is.
“No doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket but you have to combine it with a volume of runs,” Hesson said. “There’s a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough. We certainly made some shifts in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world, as that is the way the modern game is.
However, Hesson acknowledged that the 30-year-old Babar needed improvement on scoring rates, while backing him to make amends.
“Babar is one of many who have the ability to make those improvements. And I’m here to work with them and help them. In the last month or so, he’s made some really good changes. It’s not just a matter of going from 125 to 150, it’s a matter of increasing what you can offer because we’re no doubt often 30-40 runs short with the bat. So, we need to find a way of getting that.”