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Fakhar Zaman will continue sacrificing his opening batter slot for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand, which starts at Eden Park in Auckland on January 12.
Zaman revealed that he has been asked to play at No.3 or 4 by the team management in the upcoming series. The swashbuckling opener added that former captain Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan will continue to be first-choice openers for Pakistan, owing to their stellar record in the shortest format.
Zaman was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan:
“Competition is necessary for any team. It's good that six players are available for one spot in the team. I have always opened for the team but as per situation, I have been instructed to play one down or two down, because as you know Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been performing as openers.”
He added:
“The coach and captain has commanded me to play one down or two down and I am happy with that.”
Notably, Zaman has not played as an opener in the shortest format since the T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2020. As an opener, the 33-year-old scored 812 runs in 36 innings at an average of 22.56, including four half-centuries.
At No.3, Zaman has amassed 522 runs in 26 innings at an average of 22.70. In the same slot, he scored 64 runs in three innings against New Zealand earlier this year.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have shared six-century partnerships in T20Is
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have shared six-century partnerships in T20Is since they started opening together for Pakistan. It includes a double-century partnership (203*) against England and four 150+ stands.
Both Azam and Rizwan fare better than Fakhar Zaman as opener in T20Is. Rizwan has amassed 2612 runs in 58 innings at an average of 56.78, including one century and 25 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Azam has scored 2711 runs in 77 innings at an average of 39.89, including three tons and 24 half-centuries.
Babar and Rizwan are also the two leading runscorers for Pakistan in T20Is, scoring 3485 (98 innings) and 2797 runs (73 innings), respectively. Meanwhile, Zaman has managed 1433 runs in 69 innings across positions.
