Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Tuesday backed struggling batsman Fakhar Zaman and pacer Hasan Ali to do well in the knock-out phase. t20 world cup, saying he is a big match player.
In a virtual media interaction, Babar said that he expects both Fakhar and Hasan to return to form in the semi-final against Australia on Thursday.
“You want 11 players to perform? It doesn’t work like that in cricket, three to four players perform in a match,” the captain said when asked about Fakhar’s diminishing returns in the competition.
“Two batsmen perform in a game. Not every player can perform well in a match. He has full faith in the way Fakhar is playing. On his day he can change the game on his own and I am sure he will do so in the coming matches.
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Fakhar scored a match-winning century against India in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Regarding fast bowler Hasan, who has been the weakest link in the bowling department, Babar said that the idea of leaving him never crossed his mind.
“I can’t think of leaving him out. He is my main bowler. He has won us matches, made us win tournaments. Ups and downs are part of anyone’s career and when you are young you have to be in your prime. The player should support and the whole team is behind him.
“He is mentally very strong and I believe he is a great match player and will reach the semi-finals,” Babar said.
Pakistan, the only unbeaten team in the tournament, has played nothing like the unexpected tag attached to them over the years. They have played as a well-oiled machine, winning game after game.
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However, he hasn’t got a lot of runs in the powerplays and this is something he can improve upon against Australia.
“We plan to score 45-50 runs in the first six overs but sometimes we are not able to execute.
“It is important not to lose wickets in the beginning and our middle order can pick it up later. In these conditions, we want to score 45-50 runs in the powerplay.”
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