Former Pakistan cricketer says there were better options in the team but Pakistan did not utilize them
Former Pakistan player Rashid Latif has lifted worries over the national team’s selection and stated they had various choices available to them but went unused Rashid Latid said Pakistan didn’t work on their weakness after the first game which eventually forced a loss in the second Test match.
Former Pakistan player Rashid Latif has lifted worries over the national team’s selection and stated they had various choices available to them but went unused.
While talking in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Rashid Latid said Pakistan didn’t work on their weakness after the first game which eventually forced a loss in the second Test match.
Rashid highlighted that Pakistan’s side has quite often had the issue of not keeping a steady equilibrium their side and this time around was the same.
Pakistan’s side depended heavily on Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique as they won the opening game of the Test series against Sri Lanka. While Rashid Latif asserted that overall the performances were not persuading enough.
“If Azhar Ali was not performing then the selection committee should have selected Shan Masood or brought in Sarfaraz Ahmed. There were options to choose from but Pakistan did not utilize them,”
said Rashid.
Rashid also highlighted that Pakistan didn’t use the spinners in the series like Sri Lanka did and it is ultimately down to confidence.
“Pakistan had two spinners in form of Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali when Pakistan played Bangladesh and Australia. However, against Sri Lanka, there were three new slow bowlers which included Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, and Salman Ali Agha,”
he stated.
The former skipper asserted that spinners are performing well in the white-ball format but they are facing problems with the red-ball format.
“It is ultimately down to confidence but we are lacking in the spin department. The management and Babar Azam need to make a decision. Shadab Khan can be prepared for Test cricket but the decision lies with them at the end of the day,”
he said.
Rashid Latif also claimed that Hassan Ali might have been replaced with Faheem Ashraf as well.
“Faheem Ashraf possesses the ability to take wickets and also score runs. He could have acted as an additional pacer while also helping Pakistan in the runs department,”
Rashid added.
He also discussed Shaheen’s injury and asserted that the pacer ought to be taken care of as we have previously seen an illustration of how unfortunate treatment of the injury can hamper the advancement of a pacer looking like Hasan Ali.
“Protecting key players is necessary and it was the right decision to rest Shaheen to preserve his future,”
he pointed out.
Rashid said that every player goes through rough patches and a similar thing has happened to Azhar Ali and Asad Shafique as well.
“If a player is going through a rough phase, it is important to support them through this. If they are abruptly dropped then it hurts the confidence even more and the situation becomes even more difficult to salvage,”
he added.
“I cannot compare Rizwan and Sarfaraz as both are very good in their positions and roles that are assigned to them. If Pakistan is only looking at someone to fill in the number six position then there aren’t better options available than Sarfaraz,”
he explained.
Regarding the matter of Pakistan’s possibilities in the T20 World Cup, Rashid said that no group can be thought of as feeble.
“Pakistan and India are both strong contenders. You also cannot forget the likes of the West Indies while Australia has always dominated in home conditions. Sri Lanka recently gave Australia a tough time and they will also fancy their chances,”
said Rashid.
He further expressed that since New Zealand, England, and South Africa are utilized to bouncy pitches then they will likewise get an opportunity to do it effectively.