The former middle-order batter for Pakistan, Sohaib Maqsood, has slammed the two veterans of the side, captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, for their poor record in the shortest format. His comments came after the Green Brigade failed to chase 184 in 20 overs at Kingsmead in the first game against South Africa.
The 11-run loss for Pakistan came despite Rizwan smashing 74 runs in 62 balls with a strike rate of 120, thanks to five boundaries and three sixes. He got out with just four balls left in their chase as the only fire came from Saim Ayub, who drilled 31 runs in 15 balls at a strike rate of over 200.
Sohaib Maqsood recalled his time for the Multan Sultan in the PSL when they used to open with Rizwan and Shan Masood, and the accusation of the defeats was put over the shoulders of the middle order.
“While playing for the Multan Sultans in the PSL (Pakistan Super League), Shan Masood and Rizwan used to open for us, and still, we lost the first four of the five games. So, at the end of the game, we used to have the team meeting where the entire headache was around the middle order, which consisted of me, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, and Johnson Charles.” Sohaib Maqsood expressed in a recent video that went viral on social media.
Also Read: Jason Gillespie’s Future As Pakistan Head Coach Uncertain After Tim Nielsen Sacked- Report
“(they used to say that) you guys are not delivering. But the reality is that we used to get only five over. Both of our openers were in form, and then they used to play around 14-15 overs. Then the responsibility was given to bowling, where we used to chase around 190 in almost every match.” The 37-year-old highlighted.
Sohaib Maqsood blames Pakistan’s veterans for poor T20I records
Sohaib Maqsood remembered his conversation with the former left-handed Proteas opener, Rilee Rossouw, who felt that they were always 30-40 runs short in the games, with the scores should have been around 230-240 in Karachi.
“Because the middle order gets only five to six overs, they used to be dismissed while trying to smash every single time. Rossouw used to sit with me and say that they were putting it on us, but we were 30-40 runs short. These Karachi tracks are about putting 230-240 on the board.” The Multan-born addressed.
The former right-handed batter also revealed that when Rizwan got injured during their Abu Dhabi leg, things started to unfold in a different way. Rossouw started to score runs while Sohaib Maqsood ended up as the ‘player of the tournament’.
“The plan was that the openers would play in the traditional anchor knock. If one gets out, the other way will hold the innings with fireworks from the middle order. Then, when we reached Abu Dhabi, Rizwan got injured, unfortunately, or fortunately, and I ended up becoming the player of the tournament. The entire middle order scored runs.” The veteran responded.
The batter, who clubbed over 1000 runs in international cricket, looked back at how he had a discussion with Hasan Ali, as he explained why batting with both Babar and Rizwan will never help Pakistan in the 20-over format.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah’s Eases Injury Concerns Ahead Of Brisbane Test After His Outing In Net Session
“Once I told Hasan Ali, while playing for Southern Punjab, that even though both Babar and Rizwan are the great batters for Pakistan until they open together in T20Is, their middle order will never form. And I have full respect and admiration for both of them. The reason is when they are in form, they generally play 12-13 overs, as you can check the records.” Sohaib Maqsood concluded.
It will be interesting to see if the visitors go with the same, planning for the second T20I of the series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.