'They've played well but need to increase strike rate' - Inzamam-ul-Haq on Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan

The former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed his concerns on the strike rate of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan recently locked horns with West Indies for the T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match. Opening up on the match, the former cricketer has suggested that the openers of the Men in Green need to improve their scoring rate.

Whilst chasing the total of 131, the Pakistan captain Babar Azam hit a half-century whereas Fakhar Zaman added 13 runs to his account. The team registered victory by seven wickets. Inzamam ul Haq, however, feels that the chase was made easier by Fakhar Zaman, who scored 46 runs by facing 24 deliveries. He also added that the openers need to make most of the initial overs, especially against strong opponents.

“Babar and Rizwan have played exceedingly well in the last couple of years but I still feel that they should increase their strike rate. Pakistan is relying heavily on Babar and Rizwan. If they don’t score at a good strike rate, the team will find itself in a difficult situation. They need to take advantage of the first six overs, especially in matches against good teams. Pakistan chased down the total with more than three overs to spare but that was largely due to Fakhar Zaman’s 24-ball 46,” Inzamam said on his official YouTube channel.

India and Pakistan will lock horns on October 24

Both India and Pakistan will kick start their World Cup campaign on October 24. India has a dominating record against their arch-rivals in the ICC events. In 50 over World Cup, India has triumphed on seven occasions whereas in T20 World Cup they have won five times against the Men in Green.

The clash between the top two teams is a highly anticipated contest. The fans have been raring to watch the action unfold ever since the schedule of the marquee event was announced. As soon as the tickets for this game were out, it got sold out within no time. The Indian skipper Virat Kohli also opened up on the hype of the match and stated, “I have just approached this game as another game of cricket and I know there is a lot of hype around this game, more so with ticket sales and demands of tickets,” he had earlier said.