Pakistan have always produced world-class fast bowlers. The current trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah is one of the best in modern-day cricket. In Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan have one of the best wicketkeeper-batters going around. Their batting also looks settled with the likes of Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam averaging over 50. All-rounders like Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz lend the right balance to the side.
Pointing to all of this, former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq urged the ‘Men in Green’ to retain the playing XI even if they lose their upcoming encounter against arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup on Saturday, September 2.
“See, the current Pakistan XI is well-balanced. You have proper batters and all-rounders in middle order. You have full strength in pace and spin attack. You have everything. You should have the same team, this is the best combination. Even if we lose the match against India, you shouldn’t be changing the current team. This is the best team we have,” Razzaq told GEO Super.
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Taking a look at Pakistan’s win/loss record in ODIs in 2023
Pakistan have had a fine run in ODI cricket this year. They have played 12 ODI games this year so far, including the Nepal encounter. Babar and Co. have won nine games and lost three. Five of their wins came against New Zealand, three of them against Afghanistan, and one against Rohit Paudel’s men in the Asia Cup curtain raiser.
In January, they hosted the Blackcaps for a three-match series. After winning the first game, Pakistan went on to lose the next two as the tourists won the series 2-1. New Zealand returned to Pakistan in April-May to play a five-match ODI series. This assignment clashed with the Indian Premier League and New Zealand’s star players were allowed to play in the cash-rich league.
The second-string team which traveled to Pakistan lost four consecutive ODIs before managing to win the fifth. Babar’s men won the series 4-1. Ahead of the Asia Cup, Pakistan went to Sri Lanka to face Afghanistan in a three-match series. The Asian giants whitewashed Hashmatullah Shahidi’s men by a 3-0 margin with some dominating cricket.
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