ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan Do Not Have A No.4 Batsman Like Virat Kohli: Aaqib Javed Urges Babar Azam To Replicate Virat Kohli's Role In The T20 World Cup

Aaqib Javed, a former fast bowler for Pakistan, has suggested a pretty peculiar alternative, advising the captain to take on Virat Kohli’s role.

The Babar Azam-led team has not looked the same in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, with middle-order batting being their main problem, since their impressive performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE 11 months previously, Pakistan had crafted a dominant run, winning all of their group matches before narrowly losing to eventual champions Australia in the semifinals.

However, the middle-order batting of the Babar Azam-led team has been their main weakness in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup. Aaqib Javed, a former fast bowler for Pakistan, has proposed an odd solution for his country, advising the captain to take on Virat Kohli’s responsibilities.

“Babar Azam can come down the order”: Aaqib Javed

Aaqib remarked to Paktv. tv that Pakistan’s middle order has weakened as a result of the lack of a player like Kohli at No. 4 or any other batter of that caliber. Babar’s ability to bat at No. 4 for Pakistan will bolster the middle-order lineup and free Asif Ali to play freely in the slog overs,

“Pakistan doesn’t have a batter like Kohli at No.4. They don’t have any player for No.4.So why can’t Pakistan experiment? You are completely dependent on the openers. If they get dismissed, fans leave the stadium” Aaqib Javed said.

“To address that issue, Babar can bat at No.4. This will give Pakistan that stability they need in the middle order. Then the role that has been given to Asif Ali, at No.6, he can go ahead and bat freely at that position when there are 1-2 overs left,” Aaqib Javed said.

In T20I cricket, Babar did bat other than as the opener 21 times. His last appearance was during the West Indies series in 2021, where he hit a 40-ball 51 at No. 3. In his two T20I appearances after that, he has only batted once, scoring 43 off of 38 at No. 4 in 2017 and a run-a-ball 41 at No. 5 in 2018.

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