Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik has advised Babar Azam to make one change to his playing XI for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 clash against Australia. The Green Army lost to India and will be under pressure to bounce back to winning ways.
Malik feels that vice-captain Shadab Khan should be dropped from the playing XI for the game against Australia, which will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
Shadab has struggled to leave an impact during the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup, while he remains Pakistan’s most successful T20 bowler, his performances have dipped in recent months.
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The 25-year-old has been sharp as ever in the field, but has failed to contribute with the bat and the ball. In the middle overs, picking wickets from spin has been key to the success of many teams so far in the World Cup, Shadab though has not had much success.
He conceded 55 runs against Sri Lanka getting one wicket, against India he conceded 31 runs in his four overs but returned wicketless. He didn’t get the chance to bat against Sri Lanka and scored just two runs against the Men in Blue.
Shoaib Malik thus feels that Shadab could be dropped for the marquee clash against Australia. Speaking to A Sports, Malik feels that Shadab has not bowled well enough for him to complete his full quota of overs.
“Shadab is no doubt is a very good bowler, but he is struggling. If you see Adam Zampa too was not able to land his leg-spin on the correct spot even though he has bagged four wickets against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday, but his sliders and googlies were landing correctly,” said Malik.
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He added, “As far as Shadab is concerned, the Pakistan cricket team expect ten overs from him, not four or six. That’s why I feel he should be changed.”
Shadab’s poor form goes back into the Asia Cup as well, the star all-rounder could only pick up two wickets during the Super 4 games against India and Sri Lanka. He did start well with a four-wicket haul against Nepal, but his performances dipped, and Pakistan had to bear the brunt of it.
With the bat too, Shadab has failed to shine, scoring just 121 runs in his past 10 outings. With such underwhelming performances, Babar Azam will be forced to take a few tough calls.
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