'Ensured He Doesn't Get Out, Betters His Average': Ex-PAK Batter Slams Imad Wasim's Scratchy Knock Against India

Former cricketer Saleem Malik has lashed out at the Pakistan cricket team, questioning their intent against India while chasing 120 on a tricky Nassau County track on Sunday. The much-awaited encounter between the arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup saw a fierce bowling performance from the men in green, bowling out India for a paltry 119 in 18 overs. However, Pakistan couldn’t replicate it with the bat in hand and lost the game by 6 runs.

Wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Rizwan fought a tough battle on a two-paced surface but had the least assistance from his partners. Also, sending the likes of Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed didn’t pay off as Pakistan succumbed under pressure in death overs.

Speaking with Pakistani media, Malik expressed disappointment over Wasim’s approach against the Indian bowlers. Batting at No. 5, the all-rounder managed just 15 runs off 23 balls while Shadab scored mere 4 runs off 7 balls.

Malik asserted that instead of wasting deliveries, Wasim should have taken the risk of playing big shots.

“He [Imad Wasim] made sure he doesn’t get out and keep bettering his batting average. If I’m a batter and I’m not getting runs then I would try taking risk, no matter if I get out. But he kept on eating up deliveries and then changed the ends with singles,” Malik said.

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“Imad Wasim didn’t get to play much cricket since the last PSL. Shadab Khan, who scored 40-odd against the USA in the last game, shouldn’t have been promoted up the order. Sorry, but I would like to question why he [Imad Wasim] was promoted up the order, given that he hadn’t got enough chances before [the World Cup]. The batter should at least have tried something instead of playing dot balls,” he added.

Indian pacers played a massive role in the narrow win against the arch-rivals. The duo of the ever-effective Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) brought India back from the dead with incisive spells that saw Pakistan lose wickets in a heap to end at 113 for seven in 20 overs.

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