BATTING ORDER CHAOS… Inzamam slams selection committee

Former cricketer and ex-chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team, Inzamam-ul-Haq, expressed his concerns over the constant changes in the batting order, mainly regarding Babar Azam’s position.

“Babar Azam has been sent to open the innings again. If we take a look over his past record, he has performed so well at the one-down position. Babar is the finest player who is immune to set records, and now, he is just one half-century away from reaching 50 international half-centuries," said former Pakistan captain during the live transmission.

Inzi stressed over the importance of Babar’s performance. He highlighted how the struggles of a key players impact the team’s overall performance and dressing room morale as well.

"If a key player doesn’t perform in a crucial match, it affects the entire team and the atmosphere in the dressing room changes. The same scenario applies to Babar Azam; he is for sure the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup."

Speaking about the major shuffling in batting order, Inzamam questioned the logic behind moving players out of their usual positions.

"What’s the point of shifting a player if he is already doing well on a certain position? If you lose an opener, you should bring in an opener instead of reshuffling the entire batting order. Fakhar Zaman hadn’t opened in a long time, and neither Saud Shakeel was used to play at this number. Fakhar is a natural opener and he was previously pushed down the batting order, and now after three years, he’s suddenly back at the top. Saud Shakeel was performing well on his usual spot, yet his role was changed."

Inzamam also pointed out that Pakistan was playing outstanding ODIs and defeated teams like South Africa and Australia, but unnecessary changes disturbed the team’s balance.

“We should have brought a proper opener while keeping the batting order as it is if we needed a replacement. It all started with the addition of Saim Ayyub. The approach of a batsman playing at number five is entirely different from a player batting at number three. Changing positions like this affects the team and it clearly impacts their game."

Inzamam concluded by underlining the worth of stability in the batting order and the need for Babar Azam to find his form.

"Our players have previously struggled due to this constant shuffling in batting. However, since we are playing in home conditions, we might manage but the top order’s performance and Babar’s form is absolutely necessary.”