Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik came out in support of the Pakistan Men’s cricket team after their 2-0 series defeat against England just ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Malik termed the England series a tough one but highlighted how the national team dealt with similar situations in the past.
“Tough series! Remember: we’ve been in tough spots before & came out stronger,” Shoaib wrote.
He then offered a piece of advice to Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam and urged him to bat at No.3, coining the right-handed batter the “best option” to rotate the strike in the middle overs.
“IMO [In my opinion] Babar should bat at no 03! We need someone in the middle overs to rotate strike, you are our best option, with your guidance our middle order will do a lot better,” Malik added.
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The former captain also threw his weight behind all-rounder Shadab Khan and young wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan, who have been struggling to find the rhythm.
“Azam and Shadab, you two are vital for our team, don’t lose confidence, play with heart, you are match winners. Going into the World Cup, keep your morale high, we’ve got this,” he concluded.
Notably, Shoaib Malik’s statement came minutes after Pakistan succumbed to a 2-0 series defeat against England as they suffered a seven-wicket defeat against England in the fourth T20I at Kennington Oval, London.
The four-match series against England was Pakistan’s final opportunity to gear up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as the 2009 champions missed the warm-up matches for this year’s mega event.
Former champions Pakistan will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against the co-host United States of America (USA) on June 6 before taking on arch-rivals India in a blockbuster clash on June 9 in New York.
READ: Babar insists Pakistan ‘on track’ despite England series debacle