Pakistan are preparing to play their T20 world cup super eight against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa stadium and Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been struggling. The two stalwarts are yet to live to their expectations in the initial stages of the tournament.
Babar who now is batting at number four has been inconsistent. His only outstanding performance was against the USA, otherwise, he has not made a splash. Shaheen on the other hand, was one of the weaker links of Pakistan with the ball. This has not been the case with his pace and swing that have failed to bother opposition batsmen.
The management of the team at Pakistan realizes these issues. Head coach Mike Hesson has come out openly to discuss the role of Babar. He said that Babar is now regarded as a middle-order stabiliser and no longer a top-order match-winner. Hesson pointed out that Babar is able to deliver when it matters and an upsurge of the strike rate of the team. This was the reason why Babar failed to feature in the final group match with Namibia.
In this regard, Pakistan can count on new talent. The young players such as Khawaja Nafay and Salman Mirza might play a key role. Nafay can deal with middle-order batting, and Mirza can be the head of the new-ball attack. The move singles out the approach used by Pakistan to combine experience and young talent.
With the case of Pakistan and New Zealand, the team is optimistic that the youthful and selective experience will bring victory to the team. Close attention will be paid to the performance of Babar and Shaheen, however, the focus appears to be rather on the balance of the team than on the individual heroism.
