PAK vs NZ: Fakhar Zaman Reveals His Batting Position In New Zealand T20Is

Pakistan is ready to face New Zealand in the upcoming five-match T20I series. The first match will commence on January 12 in Auckland. Fakhar Zaman has been included in the squad for the series but it is not sure whether he will play as an opener or a middle-order batter. He used to open the innings for Pakistan but was demoted once Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan started to open the innings.

According to the latest reports Saim Ayub is being promoted as an opener for Pakistan in the shortest format and his opening partner will reportedly be vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan. Fakhar Zaman can be tried as a No.3 batter but Babar Azam will likely take the No.3 spot which means Fakhar needs to bat at no.4 in the series against New Zealand. Fakhar Zaman will have to sacrifice his natural batting slot to make way for the likes of Rizwan, Babar, and Saim Ayub.

On being asked about sacrificing his batting position, he replied, “In my opinion, this is not a sacrifice, this is the management’s and the captain’s faith in me that they are giving me a chance to play. If I can’t find an opening slot then that means the management is seeing something in me that makes them believe that I can win the matches while batting down the order. This is the national team, and thousands of players are in line for an opportunity so in this case I feel lucky.”

“It is okay if my place is not an opener in the team because you can see the way Babar and Rizwan are playing and the way Saim (Ayub) is playing. I feel lucky at this place as the team is trying to play me at No.3 if not as an opener and if Babar or Rizwan are coming at No.3, they are ready to play me as No.4. You cannot say that you’re sacrificing in Pakistan because this is the national team and I feel that even if they play me at No.6 or No.7, I will happily grab the opportunity,” said Fakhar Zaman.

Watch- Fakhar Zaman Talks About His Batting Position In The Upcoming Series Against New Zealand

“I can play at No. 6 or No. 7 for Pakistan too” – Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar in T20I cricket since 2020: Inns 36, Runs 677, Ave 20.51, SR 119.82, 50s 4, 100s 0, HS 60

Fakhar is not complaining about his position but he needs to show better performances in T20Is now ✅ #NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/0TRRqcrMEJ

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 10, 2024

Fakhar Zaman has always played as a top-order batter for Pakistan but he still feels lucky to find a spot in the national team. He has said that he can bat at any position for his national side and he feels lucky to be backed by the team management and the captain to play at any position. Fakhar Zaman has scored 812 runs as an opener for Pakistan in T20Is at an average of 22.56 and a strike rate of 136.24.

Fakhar also boasts an impressive record at No.3 where he has scored 522 runs in 26 innings at an average of 22.70. However, his strike rate drops to 117.30 in that position. He has also played a few innings at No.4, No.5, and No.6. It will be interesting to see where the Pakistan team decides to play him in the series against New Zealand. It will also be interesting to see Babar Azam batting at a different position in the series. Earlier, he used to open the innings with Rizwan.