Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has offered a piece of advice for top-order batter Imam-ul-Haq ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against arch-rivals India.
Imam-ul-Haq was called up in the Pakistan squad as a replacement for opener Fakhar Zaman, who was ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 after he sustained an injury during the match against New Zealand in Karachi on 19 February.
Mohammad Hafeez, during a recent interview, expressed his support for Imam, however, he advised the left-handed batter Imam to improve his strike rate.
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“He is a fantastic player with a strong record in ODIs. The biggest question mark is his strike rate. The missing element in his game is the intent to score quickly as an opener,” Hafeez stated.
“I wish him all the best. Even though he has come in as a replacement, he is a strong character, and I am confident he will seize this opportunity.”
For the unversed, Imam played his last of 72 ODIs against South Africa during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He has scored 3,138 runs at an impressive average of 48.27, featuring nine centuries and 20 half-centuries.
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Meanwhile, his last international match was the Boxing Day Test against Australia in December 2023 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
It’s worth noting that the defending champions and hosts Pakistan began their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a 60-run loss against New Zealand.
They will now face arch-rivals India in the much-awaited clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23 before returning home to square off against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.
Pakistan squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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