KARACHI: Former cricketer Basit Ali on Wednesday, asserted that the current Pakistan team lacked a ‘game-changer’ like left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman following defeat in the first T20I against South Africa.
The green shirts on Tuesday, succumbed to an 11-run defeat in the series opener as they failed to chase down 184 despite skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s half-century.
The right-handed batter remained the top-scorer for Pakistan in the run chase with a 74-run knock.
Rizwan, however, was cautious in the early phase of his innings as he was 46 not out from 49 balls by the end of 16 overs when the touring side needed 60 runs in the remaining four overs.
He, eventually switched gears but it happened a little too late as the green shirts fell short by 11 runs.
Meanwhile, Basit, while reacting to the defeat, emphasized the need of having Fakhar in the team, highlighting the left-handed batter’s ability to score at a brisk pace.
“Fakhar Zaman will be missed, no matter what they say about him; ‘he’s having some throat problems and is unfit,’ whatever. Aqib [Javed] must have missed him yesterday,” said Basit.
“Because he is a [game-changer]. You don’t have any [game-changer] who can hit three sixes in an over. How many sixes did Saim hit? He played well but how many sixes did he hit? We need such players who can hit sixes,” he added.
Notably, Fakhar was overlooked from Pakistan’s white-ball squads for the ongoing series against South Africa, and Pakistan’s interim head coach Aqib Javed, in a statement, released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), cited his fitness as the reason behind his exclusion.
“Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain form and match fitness,” Javed was quoted by the PCB.
The left-handed batter, however, when probed about his fitness on Sunday, shared that he is fit and ready to play whenever given the chance.
"I'm fit, and that's why I'm playing, and if there is a chance, I will play. I started my career at the Champions Trophy, and I'm thankful that my performances were good and we won matches there. And in this Champions Trophy, my only effort will be to play well and win games," said Fakhar.
- Basit Ali
- Fakhar Zaman
