Karachi (Web Desk) – Pakistan cricket team’s head coach, Aaqib Javed, has said that you always select players from the best available options, considering the team’s balance. If you play two specialist spinners, you need to go with two pacers as well. The head coach mentioned that Abrar has performed well in white-ball cricket; every team has one specialist spinner and one all-rounder.
He added that the role of openers is to provide a good start, and on these pitches, there isn’t much pressure on the top order. Our strategy was to have the best batter open the innings to maximize the advantage of the powerplay. Aaqib Javed also noted that batting between the 11th and 40th over is crucial nowadays and requires caution. If Pakistan loses early wickets, it allows opposition spinners to bowl to under-pressure batters.
The head coach stated that if wickets are preserved, opposition spinners cannot dominate. He believes that in these conditions, Babar Azam should open the innings, and he is optimistic that Babar will play a big innings in key matches. He emphasized that on such pitches, the top three batters need to play long innings to score runs, which has been a weakness for Pakistan.
Aaqib Javed expressed confidence that this team will perform well in the Champions Trophy. “People think there’s nothing left in the team after losing a couple of matches, but this team has all the ingredients to reach the top,” he said. He explained the inclusion of Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf as spin and pace all-rounders, respectively, as part of maintaining variety for a tournament.
The head coach mentioned that Aamer Jamal wasn’t selected because he couldn’t fully regain his confidence after an injury. “We tried different combinations in three matches and now have a better understanding of what adjustments are needed,” he said. Javed added that a solid opening partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam could significantly improve the team’s performance.
“If a player doesn’t manage one or two games well, it doesn’t mean they lack talent,” Aaqib Javed concluded.
Pakistan’s interim coach Aaqib Javed said that some players handle match situations well, and even if someone doesn’t perform in one or two games, it doesn’t indicate a lack of ability. “It’s just bad luck that Babar had to depart early in three matches, and Saeem’s injury was also unfortunate. We have brought in players who were in form,” he said.
