Ramiz Raja praises Pakistan team management for testing bench strength

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Former captain Ramiz Raja has praised Pakistan team management for trying new combinations and testing the bench strength of the Men-in-Green against all-star West Indies.

The Babar Azam-led side handed a maiden T20I cap to Mohammad Wasim Jr and brought back explosive opener Sharjeel Khan in the playing XI in the first fixture of the three-match series.

“We have seen a glimpse of good selection despite being only a nine-over game,” said Ramiz while speaking on his YouTube channel. “Pakistan tried to experiment, which is a good sign because every game must have some meaning that what you want to achieve.

“There are a few things that Pakistan must do ahead of the T20 World Cup,” Ramiz said adding that they should see which players are in inform and they must be given proper opportunity and play more matches irrespective of if he is a bench player.

He was of the view that Pakistan should adopt the same approach for bowling by experimenting with different combinations.

“Similarly, Pakistan should also test its openers as there is a debate going on in the think tank that Babar should bat at number three in the World Cup,” he said.

The former captain also stated that middle-order is a major concern for Pakistan and it will be interesting to see how it will respond once Babar joins them in the middle.

Commenting on the first T20I, which was washed out due to rain, Ramiz said that Pakistan’s bowling was untidy. “I was a bit untidy in the latter part of the innings,” he said. “Conceding 10 run an over on this pitch is not good. Bowlers should follow Hasan Ali, who set a brilliant example, by varying pace, using cutters and slow balls.