We Need To Focus On A Couple Of Positions Before The Next Series: Pakistan Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has reckoned that the former T20 World Champions are just a couple of positions away from finalizing their best T20 side ahead of the upcoming quadrennial event in the United Arab Emirates.

From the preparation point of view, Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better lead-up to the T20 World Cup.

The Babar Azam-led unit has landed in England where it will lock horns with Eoin Morgan’s No.1 ranked team in 3 T20Is and as many ODIs.

Post the England series, Pakistan will travel to the Caribbean where they will square off against the defending champions West Indies in a five-match rubber.

Pakistan top-order picks itself with skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan opening the innings followed by Fakhar Zaman and veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

However, it’s the middle-order and more specifically the No.5 and 6 positions that have been their Achillies Heal in the last 2 years.

Since Misbah-ul-Haq took over as head coach, Pakistan has tried as many as 14 players for the aforementioned slots and, in Azam Khan and Shoaib Maqsood, they will be trialing two more in the upcoming series against England and the West Indies.

“The PSL made a few things clear. I think it is that one slot we are trying to fill, at no.5 and no.6, that we’ve had issues with. We have Azam Khan now and Sohaib Maqsood with us to see if they can, and what combination we can make with them. Overall, the bowling we know we have pretty much our attack. At the top of the order we have our four pretty much and their replacements. So, we know our side more or less but a couple of positions that we need to focus on over the next two series.” Misbah-ul-Haq said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Khan’s form tapered off during the second phase of the PSL plus there have been a lot of questions regarding his fitness ever since he came into the limelight.

And, now that he has been selected, murmurs of him getting a chance due to him being the son of Moin Khan have already started.

As far as Shoaib Maqsood is concerned,  he has already made it clear that he wants to bat in the top-order and that would mean breaking the established quarter of Azam, Rizwan, Fakhar, and Hafeez.

“We try that whatever players we have here are fully prepared and that we show confidence in them so they go out there and perform,” Misbah said. “Azam no doubt is talented although he is a little out of form recently. But everyone knows that in modern T20 cricket, the power you need at five or six, the strike rate you need, he has the potential for that. So, looking forward to seeing him, we just have to see what combination we want to go with.” he added.

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