Pakistan beat Hong Kong in the last group game of the Asia Cup 2022 and made a statement with 155 runs. In this game, it was their skipper Babar Azam who was again disappointed with the bat, nevertheless, their opening batter Mohammad Rizwan was back and he helped Pakistan escape as he smashed 78 off 57 balls. Meanwhile, former Pakistan bowler and modern-day legend Wasim Akram was quick to mention that he thought Rizwan played too carefully and remained unbeaten. He said Rizwan should have gone for the big shots.
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“Rizwan going not out for me was a big no-no. If you are there, try to hit a couple of boundaries, get out, get fresh legs in there. You have Asif, Iftikhar, Nawaz, Shadab.. you bat till no. 8-9. What’s the point in this format going not out on 75 off 57 deliveries?” Akram said in a rather stern manner during his stint with Star Sports after the game.
However, another Pakistan legend was quick to differ on this view. Former skipper Inzamam Ul Haq, while speaking to Geo TV, said that he doesn’t agree to Wasim bhai’s views.
“I was saying the same thing but I don’t agree with Wasim bhai when he says he should get out. We were saying that if Asif had gotten the opportunity to bat, it would be nice. I think Wasim bhai meant that the top-3 should try and play 12-13 overs. Against Hong Kong, they stayed till those overs but Rizwan could have taken some chances,” Inzamam said.
“They should’ve planned their batting. Our problem was till the 10th over of the match, where we scored only 64. Against a team like Hong Kong, it wasn’t a big score. We could’ve been under pressure if we had lost wickets. Also, if our lower-order had some opportunity, it would have been better,” Inzamam further said.
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