Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has advised Pakistan to include Fakhar Zaman in the middle order if the team is serious about its T20 World Cup campaign.
In a statement posted on X, Ashwin said Pakistan’s team management should seriously consider giving Fakhar Zaman a role in the middle overs.
“If Pakistan are serious about this World Cup, they must look at Fakhar Zaman in the middle order,” Ashwin suggested.
He explained that Fakhar has the ability to attack spinners aggressively. According to Ashwin, Fakhar can counter bowlers like Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson by playing sweep shots and stepping out of the crease to hit big shots.
Ashwin stressed that increasing the run rate in the middle overs will be crucial for Pakistan. He added that Fakhar can effectively perform that role.
The former spinner also pointed out that Nepal used a similar strategy against Adil Rashid. Their batters targeted square boundaries and put the spinner under pressure.
Cricket analysts believe other teams can learn from this approach. When batters play square on both sides of the wicket, the opposing captain is forced to bring fielders inside the circle. As a result, it creates more opportunities to step out and clear the boundary.
Experts say Pakistan may need to adopt a similar strategy to maintain momentum in the middle overs.
