“If you have to bench Shadab, do it” – Ramiz Raja blasts Shadab Khan for flop show as Pakistan lose T20I series to England ahead of T20 World Cup
Ramiz Raja has slammed Shadab Khan for his poor display with the bat and ball as Pakistan lost the T20I series against England on Thursday, May 30. The former cricketer looked disappointed to see Shadab wasting opportunities at No. 5 and criticized management for sending him above No. 7.
Raja reckons that a proper batter like Saim Ayub should be slotted to strengthen the middle order. The reaction came as Pakistan suffered a middle-order collapse and got bundled out for 157 in 19.5 overs in the fourth and final T20I against England.
Ramiz Raja said on his YouTube channel:
“The middle order was a flop show that led to the lack of runs and we lost the plot. Imad Wasim should be picked in all games. If you have to bench Shadab, do it. You can play Saim Ayub in the middle order because Shadab is not fit at No.5. If a proper batter comes in, it will bring some stability in the middle order.”
He continued:
“Shadab Khan in middle order? What is his role, I don’t get it. At No.5, he is out of touch and out of form. His ideal batting position should be No.7. He tries to play like a slogger.”
Shadab returned with scores of three and a duck in his two outings against England. The leg-spinner also returned wicketless in both games. Since 2023, he has scored 159 runs and bagged nine wickets in 16 T20I outings for Pakistan.
“You saw how extreme pace troubled him” – Ramiz Raja on Azam Khan’s failures for Pakistan
Ramiz Raja further slammed Azam Khan’s failures in both outings against England. The 61-year-old pointed out how Azam struggled against England pacers, especially against the short balls. He said:
“Azam Khan’s batting against pace is weak. His strike rate against spin is good, but against pace, he doesn’t play well against short balls. You saw how extreme pace troubled him. He needs to work a lot on his batting against pace.”
Azam returned with scores of 11 and a duck against England.
Raja also pointed out Iftikhar Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman’s lack of consistency. That came as Iftikhar managed 23 and 21, while Zaman returned with scores of 45 and nine, respectively.
“Iftikhar Ahmed scores 20s and gets out. He is used as a finisher but doesn’t do that, neither in the first or the second innings. Similarly, Fakhar [Zaman] is a hit-and-miss.”
Pakistan will begin their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on June 6.