Ramiz Raja straightforwardly suggests that the strike rates of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not assured, emphasizing his opinion on openers Babar and Rizwan.

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Ramiz Raja raises the question of whether Pakistan should consider changing their opening pair, Babar and Rizwan, in the T20 World Cup. While acknowledging the consistency of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as openers for Pakistan, he notes their struggle to perform in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. In their opening match against the USA, Babar scored 44 off 43 balls, while Rizwan managed only 9 off 8 balls. Similarly, in the high-profile clash against India, Rizwan scored 31, and Babar contributed 13 runs but failed to capitalize on their starts.

Ramiz Raja suggests that Pakistan cannot afford to lose wickets in the powerplay, indicating the importance of a strong start. Therefore, he believes that the team management should continue to support Babar and Rizwan as openers in the ICC event. While discussing Pakistan’s opening dilemma, Raja also mentions the batting prowess of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, emphasizing their significance in the context of opening partnerships.

‘They may not give you the strike rate of Rohit or Virat’: Ramiz Raja

“Looking at what Pakistan have got, you cannot afford to start by losing wickets. They may not give you the strike rate of a Rohit (Sharma) or a Virat (Kohli), but, you know, at least they give you solidity. And this Pakistan team, with the kind of batting lineup that they’ve got, they’ve got to play within what they have got. So it’s important that they start off with Babar and Rizwan because it takes years to establish an opening partnership and pair,” Raja told Cricbuzz.

Babar and Rizwan have collectively scored 5,329 runs with an impressive average of 44.4 since the 2021 season in T20 cricket. Their strike rate in T20Is stands at 129.5, showcasing their ability to score quickly. In a crucial match against Canada, Pakistan made the strategic decision to include Saim Ayub in the lineup, leading to Babar being demoted to the No. 3 position. Despite this change, Babar managed to score 33 runs off 33 balls. Meanwhile, opener Rizwan played a pivotal innings, scoring a match-winning 53 runs off 53 balls in Pakistan’s seven-wicket victory over Canada.

‘It is important for the team to be fit’ says Ramiz Raja

After losing back-to-back games in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan opted to bench Azam Khan in its previous game against Canada. “You see, for me, it is important for the team to be fit. You can’t have a separate case for someone who’s talented but not fit. Look at Imad Wasim. He was not fit. He couldn’t run properly and there were a couple of run out chances (against India). The first thing you need to have is a set standard of fitness,” Raja said.