ul-Haq is selected Player of the Match in the third One-Day International against New Zealand, batting 90 off 107 balls.
With the ODI World Cup fast approaching, all sides will be looking to field their strongest team. Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq believes the team will be able to field a core team for the upcoming championship tournament. Despite the fact that the Men in Green only have a few games left in their bilateral series against New Zealand.
As of now, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan have seized an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. However, he stated that the Men in Green must maintain momentum. And cannot be complacent with only two ODIs remaining in the series. Furthermore, he state that it would be too late to tamper with the group. To arrange for a core unit for the huge ODI tournament in India in October.
“We don’t have time to do experiments. We have only two games left (against New Zealand) and it’s really very important to go into a bigger tournament, you have to be settled as much as you can with your main players. We have less cricket and I don’t think we have enough time to find a workaround,”
-Imam
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You find yourself under pressure while playing for Pakistan: Imam ul-Haq
He is also not convince by the team’s use of power. Hitters Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Haris in the middle overs. He noted that the side has choices to field with Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Nawaz. But the management would need to back them up to instill confidence.
“With Agha (Salman), Shadab (Khan), and (Mohammad) Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting to improvise. It’s just a matter of giving them confidence. When you play for Pakistan, you find yourself under pressure in every situation and coming out of it is something that defines you,”
– Imam added
Notably, ul-Haq named Player of the Match in the third ODI after scoring 90 off 107 balls in Pakistan’s victory. As part of the Future Tours Programme. Pakistan will play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in August before the ODI World Cup.
Following the end of the series, the Men in Green will also host the Asia Cup in 2023. However, the ongoing dispute over the event’s location, it remains to be see what happens.
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