Ahmed Shehzad, a former cricketer, not too long ago revealed his final Pakistan XI throughout a neighborhood channel present, focusing solely on legends from earlier generations as present gamers did not discover a place in Shehzad’s line-up.
Pakistan’s opening duo
Shehzad selected Saeed Anwar and Majid Khan as his opening pair. He praised Anwar’s versatility throughout the bottom and admired Majid’s trendy batting and quite a few information from his period.
“Saeed Anwar was a universally cherished participant who might dominate from any place on the sector. I’ve watched many movies of Majid Khan, and his batting fashion was elegant with quite a few information from his period,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by Pakistan At the moment.
Center-Order Maestros
Within the center order, Shehzad included Zaheer Abbas, recognized for his aesthetic cowl drives and dominance over bowlers. Younis Khan, acknowledged for his diligent work ethic and spectacular stats, was essential for Shehzad. Javed Miandad, a childhood hero of Shehzad’s, discovered his place as a consequence of his simple influence. Shahid Afridi‘s twin capacity to smash sixes and bowl spin made him a difficult however deserving selection. Moin Khan was chosen because the wicket-keeper for his neat takes behind the stumps.
“He [Zaheer Abbas] was pleasing to the attention, the duvet drive was nice and used to dominate the bowlers. Younis Khan was a hard-working participant with excellent stats. Having him on any aspect is icing on the cake. I do know I’ve positioned him under however how can I miss Javed Miandad? Rising up watching him play, I needed to modify to him someplace in my group. Shahid Afridi is the batter who can hit sixes and bowl spin. It was a tricky name however for the wicketkeeper spot, Moin Khan used to take neat takes with the ball going easily in his gloves,” the 32-year-old added.
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Bowling powerhouses
Shehzad’s bowling lineup featured Saqlain Mushtaq, credited because the ‘Doosra’ pioneer, for his match-winning performances and spectacular statistics. Wasim Akram, an iconic determine in cricket, was an automated choice as a consequence of his legendary achievements. Mohammad Zahid, recognized for his tempo and talent, added depth to the tempo assault alongside Shoaib Akhtar, one of many quickest bowlers in cricket historical past.
“Saqlain has gained us matches and has nice stats. It’s unattainable if somebody is enjoying of their childhood and isn’t following Wasim Akram and his achievements. Zahid performed little or no cricket and I bear in mind as soon as Brian Lara stated, he’s the quickest I’ve ever performed,” Shehzad concluded.
No place for Babar Azam
Shehzad’s determination to exclude present captain Babar Azam from his final Pakistan XI and different high-profile platers like Shaheen Afridi reveals his doubt on the potential on the present crop, particularly given Babar’s stature as one in every of Pakistan’s fashionable cricketing icons recognized for his constant run-scoring and management qualities.
Nonetheless, Pakistan confronted an embarrassing defeat within the T20 World Cup 2024, exiting on the group stage. All through the match, Shehzad’s frustration over Babar’s captaincy has develop into more and more obvious. A number of media experiences indicated rigidity between Shehzad and skipper Babar, with whom he had beforehand shared the sector in age-group cricket.