Asia Cup 2022: "Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are carrying the load of the batting" - Inzamam-ul-Haq critical of Pakistan's current batting state
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed his concern over the current state of the team's batting unit.
The Men in Green were let down by their batters on several occasions over the course of the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai, including the final, in which they lost to Sri Lanka by 23 runs on Sunday, September 11.
Wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan led the scoring charts for the tournament with 281 runs, but the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan was Iftikhar Ahmed with a distant run tally of 105 runs.
Skipper Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman had woeful campaigns as they failed to hit the three-figure mark despite playing all six matches.
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Noting that Pakistan currently have a very weak middle order, Inzamam said on his YouTube channel:
"Pakistan's bowling was inexperienced as well. Another issue, one that has been riddling the team for years, is that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are carrying the load of the batting."
Inzamam continued:
"When these two were scoring runs, Pakistan were winning matches. Our middle order has become very weak."
Only three players – Mohammad Rizwan, Ifthikar Ahmed and Haris Rauf – were able to cross the double-figure mark while trying to chase the 171-run target set by Dasun Shanaka's side.
"They were 58-5 at one point, but they showed intent even at that point" - Inzamam-ul-Haq on Sri Lanka's positivity despite being under pressure
The odds were stacked against Sri Lanka early on when they lost the toss on a surface that has heavily aided chasing. The in-form top-order failed to fire, leaving the side reeling at 58-5 as the innings approached the halfway mark.
Pakistan eased the pressure on the pedal, which was duly capitalized by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga. The duo stitched together a match-winning partnership of 58 runs off just 36 deliveries to shift the momentum.
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📸 It was a special moment Sri Lanka Captain Dasun Shanaka receiving the #AsiaCup from the President of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva.@SLCPresident
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Opining that Sri Lanka played like a team to win the tournament, Inzamam said:
"If you play like a team then you can big tournaments. It is difficult to excel in big events if you are reliant on a couple of players. Sri Lanka never gave up at any point, and played proper T20 cricket. They were 58-5 at one point, but they showed intent even at that point."
Sri Lanka were crowned as champions of Asia for the sixth time following their win over Azam's side, thus ending their eight-year wait for the trophy.
Can the duo of Dasun Shanaka and Chris Silverwood continue to turn things around for Sri Lankan cricket? Let us know what you think.