"These two openers are not going to win you tournaments" - Aaqib Javed blasts Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's timid approach 

Former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed has criticized the timid approach employed by opening batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The Men in Green have remained firm with their approach of building a foundation rather than going out all guns blazing.

Azam and Rizwan currently occupy the top two spots in the ICC rankings for T20I batters. The Pakistani skipper had an Asia Cup campaign to forget after failing to tally even 100 runs across six matches.

However, the wicket-keeper batter, in stark contrast, was the leading run-scorer of the tournament but held a modest strike rate of 117.57.

Claiming that the approach employed by the top-order puts the team under pressure in the run-chase, Javed told reporters:

“These two openers are not going to win you tournaments… Take the two openers [Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan], No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world. But such a player should know what to do. The vice-captain [Rizwan] plays for 15 overs – starts playing when the asking rate is 8 and leaves after taking it to [in the Asia Cup final that Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka] 17!”

Batting proved to be a huge concern for Pakistan over the course of the recently concluded tournament, primarily due to Azam and Fakhar Zaman's poor run of form.

Several have suggested promoting Zaman up the order once again. Echoing them but adding several changes of his own, Javed said:

“By making Fakhar Zaman bat at No. 3, beda-gark kar rahen hai (they are destroying him). Fakhar should open with one of these two (Azam and Rizwan)."

Javed continued:

“Shan Masood should bat at No. 3. Let Rizwan bat at No. 4 so that once the field is opened up, he can rotate the strike. Then you bring in Tayyab Tahir or Agha Salman. And as for Khushdil, Asif and Iftiqhar – you can still play one of them at No. 7 when there is no other option in the entire country… These three aren’t good."

Asif Ali's death-hitting exploits were largely a hit-and-miss in the Asia Cup. Iftikhar Ahmed was the only player, along with Rizwan, to score 100 runs in the tournament, but it came at a dismal strike rate of 100.96.

"You don’t want to give chances to those who can play" - Aaqib Javed on Pakistan's misfortunes

Pakistan's wait for a third Asia Cup crown continues after losing to Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday, September 11. The Men in Green were expected to lift the title, especially with their biggest threat in the form of India failing to reach the final.

However, the side ended up with more questions than answers at the end of the tournament.

Blaming the selectors and team management for Pakistan's current predicament, Javed said:

“You don’t want to give chances to those who can play. Shan [Masood] run kar-kar k paagal ho chuka hai (he has been piling up runs like mad) but you don’t want to play him."

Javed concluded:

There are other players who deserve a place. Taiyaab Tahir is a good performer. Then there is Agha Salman, performing in white-ball cricket.”

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