Pakistan would reportedly include Abdullah Shafique in their playing XI as a replacement for out-of-form Fakhar Zaman against Sri Lanka in their second World Cup 2023 match in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
In Pakistan’s campaign opener of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup against the Netherlands, Fakhar fell cheaply. Although the Green Brigade won the match, the batter’s failure led to a debate between the former cricketers and fans demanding a change in their middle-order.
“Chances of single change are there for Pakistan’s second match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. There are no injury worries at this point in time and if that continues to be the case, we may see one change. Abdullah may replace Fakhar. The final decision, however, is yet to be taken as to whether the winning combination should be retained or Abdullah should take over Fakhar’s place. The decision is expected on the match day,” a source was quoted as saying by The News on Monday.
Fakhar Zaman last scored a century in ODI format in April earlier this year in Rawalpindi and since then, has failed to impress due to which his performance has been a concern for the Pakistan team management.
Meanwhile, the Babar Azam-led side had a busy Sunday as it underwent a full session of training and nets in Hyderabad ahead of their second match against Sri Lanka at the same venue on Tuesday.
Commenting on Zaman, Akram felt that he doesn’t take time to settle down in the middle, especially when he is out of form.
“Fakhar Zaman has been out of form for the past month and a half. He was with me in LPL as well, there too he struggled,” Akram said on a local sports channel.
“When you are out of form, the only way to improve things is by working on your technique and basics. You need to go out and middle a few balls before trying to hit big shots. Going after the bowling straight away won’t help you at all. I think this is the problem with Fakhar Zaman,” he added.
Earlier, the Green Brigade kicked-off their campaign on a winning note as they registered an 82-run victory over the Netherlands on Friday (October 6).