Fakhar Zaman will persist in giving up his opening position for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand, commencing at Eden Park in Auckland on January 12.
Zaman mentioned that the team management has requested him to bat at No.3 or 4 in the upcoming series. The dynamic opener emphasized that Azam and Rizwan will remain the preferred openers for Pakistan due to their excellent performance in T20Is.
As per Cricket Pakistan, Zaman mentioned:
“Competition is necessary for any team. It’s good that six players are available for one spot in the team.”
”I have always opened for the team but as per situation, I have been instructed to play one down or two down, because as you know Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been performing as openers.”
He added:
“The coach and captain has commanded me to play one down or two down and I am happy with that.”
Remarkably, Zaman hasn’t been in the opening position in T20Is since the series against Zimbabwe in 2020. In his 36 innings as an opener, the 33-year-old accumulated 812 runs with an average of 22.56, featuring four half-centuries.
Batting at No.3, Zaman has gathered 522 runs in 26 innings with an average of 22.70. In this position, he scored 64 runs in three innings against New Zealand earlier this year.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan scored centuries together six times in T20Is
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have formed six-century partnerships in T20Is since they began opening for Pakistan. This includes a double-century partnership (203*) against England and four partnerships exceeding 150 runs.
Both Azam and Rizwan outperform Fakhar Zaman as openers in T20Is. Rizwan has gathered 2612 runs in 58 innings with an average of 56.78, featuring one century and 25 half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Azam has secured 2711 runs in 77 innings with an average of 39.89, including three centuries and 24 half-centuries.
Babar and Rizwan are the top two run-scorers for Pakistan in T20Is, accumulating 3485 (in 98 innings) and 2797 runs (in 73 innings), respectively. In contrast, Zaman has scored 1433 runs in 69 innings across various positions.
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