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Former Australian speedster Brett Lee has included Pakistan wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Haris Rauf in his all-time Asian T20I team.
The continental tournament is currently underway, with the opening match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
During an interview with Fox Sports, Lee picked 12 players from Asia, including two Pakistani players.
Lee’s started with Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as openers, who retired from the format last year after leading Men in Blue to the 2024 World Cup triumph.
Rohit (4231 runs) is the highest run-scorer in the shorter format, only ahead of Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam, who has 4223 runs to his name.
The 48-year-old also picked Mohammad Rizwan, who is the seventh-highest run scorer in T20Is. However, the right-hander is not included in Pakistan’s squad for the continental tournament.
“I think he [Rizwan] should definitely get an opportunity to be in that all-time T20I team because of what he’s achieved. Now, the conjecture is over here that he’s not going to play in this series, which is surprising to me, ” he said about Mohammad Rizwan.
Along with Rizwan, Haris Rauf was also included in Lee’s All-time Asia XI due to his sheer pace and wicket-taking ability.
“Haris Rauf has got the pace and balls at the death,” he said.
Interestingly, Brett Lee included Babar Hayat from Hong Kong, Amjad Javed from UAE, and Mohammad Naveed in a lineup featuring star players from Asia.
The inclusion of Babar Hayat is understandable due to his being the third-highest scorer in Asia Cup T20I history with 235 runs.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Hayat, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan, Amjad Javed, Mohammad Naveed, Haris Rauf, and Jasprit Bumrah.
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