Can Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi return to Pakistan's T20I team?
What's the story
Pakistan's new white-ball coach Mike Hesson has laid out a roadmap for the return of experienced players Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi to the T20I side. Both players were instrumental in Pakistan's back-to-back ICC Men's T20 World Cup knockout stage appearances in 2021 and 2022. However, they have not featured in T20Is since December last year. Hence, they were also not included in Hesson's first squad that swept Bangladesh 3-0 at home last month.
Future strategy
Hesson sees Babar, Afridi as key players in long-term plans
Despite their recent absence from the T20I squad, Hesson has said that he still sees both Babar and Afridi as key players in his long-term plans. The duo is currently training in Karachi with their teammates ahead of a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh later this month. This training camp is part of Hesson's strategy to prepare players for future international assignments.
Team dynamics
Babar competing for opener spot; not Pakistan's 1st-choice keeper
Hesson clarified that Babar isn't in the race to become Pakistan's first-choice keeper. Instead, he is competing with other top-order batters like Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub for one of two opener spots. Hesson stressed that Babar's strike rate in T20I cricket needs improvement to match the likes of Fakhar and Ayub. "Babar is competing for one of the opening positions. But obviously we have Fakhar and Saim in those two roles at the moment," said Hesson as per ICC.
Performance metrics
High strike rate needed in T20 cricket
Hesson acknowledged the importance of a high strike rate in T20 cricket but stressed it should be combined with a good volume of runs. "There's a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough, he noted. Hesson said Babar is among many players who can improve their scoring rates and he is here to help them do so.
Player development
Hesson hints Afridi needs to improve with white-ball
While Hesson didn't specify the exact areas he wants Afridi to improve in, he hinted that the left-arm pacer needs to do better with the white-ball. "Shaheen is a world-class player. There's no doubt that we've identified some areas that he needs to work on," Hesson noted. The coach stressed it's his job as part of the coaching staff to get their best players on the field and make them better so they can perform well for Pakistan.
Stats
Here are Babar and Shaheen's T20I numbers
Babar is the 2nd-highest scorer in T20Is after India's Rohit Sharma. He owns 4,223 runs from 128 games at 39.83. He has 36 fifties and three tons under his belt. However, his strike rate of 129.22 is deemed as an issue. Shaheen, who has been Pakistan's strike bowler across formats, owns 102 wickets from 70 T20Is an incredible average of 22.12. His tally includes an economy rate of 7.90 (4W: 2).