Pakistan opener Sharjeel Khan has been included in the T20I squad for the upcoming series against South Africa. he has been included in the ta for his consistent run in the Pakistan Super League. Sharjeel was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 200 runs to his name in 5 games at an astonishing strike-rate of 170.94 before the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Pakistan head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq was not too pleased with Sharjeel Khan’s selection despite him weighing 112 kg.
According to the reports in Cricket Pakistan, both the head coach and skipper Babar Azam find Sharjeel unfit and believe that his selection will pave the way for more ‘unfit’ players in the Pakistan team. Thus, the opener is unlikely to find a place in teams playing XI in any of the games.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Chief selector Mohammad Wasim was not on the same page with his skipper and head coach. He said that fitness should not be the only criteria behind a player’s selection and that his performances too should be taken into account and respected.
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“Fitness isn’t the only criteria for selection – at the end of the day, a player has to play cricket. We are already working on reviewing the fitness testing levels and will introduce a new strategy [to gauge fitness]. I didn’t comment on Sharjeel’s fitness earlier as his performances [last year] were patchy, but now we have to look at anyone who performs” said Wasim.
Wasim further said that Sharjeel Khan can win games for Pakistan with his bat and that his fitness will be addressed in time.
Sharjeel Khan Can Win Games With His Bat: Mohammad Wasim
“Yes, I understand there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on his fitness and he will improve with time, but at the moment he can win us big games with his bat,” Mohammad Wasim said in a press conference.
Pakistan are scheduled to play three ODIs and four T20Is against South Africa from April 2 to April 16. Following the tour of South Africa, Pakistan will travel to neighboring Zimbabwe for two Tests and three T20Is.
T20I Squad
Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohamamad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Qadir
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