"He is taking care of his strike rate now" - Inzamam-ul-Haq sees improvement in Mohammad Rizwan's approach

Former Pakistan top-order batter Inzamam-ul-Haq has claimed he sees an improvement in Mohammad Rizwan's strike rate from his innings against England in the first T20I on Tuesday (September 20). The former captain also believes Babar Azam isn't out of form despite his middling score.

Rizwan, the top run-getter in the 2022 Asia Cup, continued his good form in the first T20I against England in Karachi. The keeper-batter struck 68 off 46 deliveries, in a knock laced with six fours and two sixes albeit in a losing effort.

Fastest to 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20I runs:
🇵🇰 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐳𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝟓𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
🇵🇰 Babar Azam 52 innings
🇮🇳 Virat Kohli 56 innings
🇮🇳 KL Rahul 58 innings
🇦🇺 Aaron Finch 62 innings

#PAKvENG | #UKSePK https://t.co/fK2r4WcRhL

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq stated:

"It augurs well that Mohammad Rizwan, who is constantly contributing with the bat, also taking care of his strike rate now. Also, though Babar Azam played a short knock, he isn’t looking out of form. He made 24-ball 31."

Rizwan has faced plenty of criticism from former cricketers after scoring a 49-ball 55 in the 2022 Asia Cup final. The right-handed batter's uncharacteristic knock put pressure on the remaining batters as Pakistan lost by 23 runs while chasing 171.

"Changes are good for the team" - Inzamam-ul-Haq on Pakistan's team for T20I series

Inzamam-ul-Haq. (Image Credits: Twitter)

The 52-year-old opined that Pakistan should stick with the current combination as the team appears more promising than the squad that played in the Asia Cup. He said:

"Changes are good for the team and though they could not perform well in the first match against England, we should back them. The team combination is better now than the one we had in Asia Cup."

@T20WorldCup Introducing our squad 🙌

🗒️ pcb.com.pk/press-release-…

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England gunned down 159 with four wickets as four balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead with six more games left to play. Opener Alex Hales, playing his first international game in three years, scored a 40-ball 53.

The hosts will want to bounce back in the second T20I. The Men in Green will also also be eager to see Azam back to his best. The right-handed batter managed only 68 runs in six games in the Asia Cup and failed to cross the 50-run mark even once.