LAHORE – Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja on Monday raised concerns about the team’s fixation on strike rate, attributing it to their disappointing 4-1 loss against New Zealand in the recently concluded T20I series.
Ramiz Raja questioned the basis of this strike rate apprehension, particularly given the team’s limited options.
He stressed the importance of new players adopting a risk-free batting style to improve their strike rates and suggested that the fear of strike rate within the team’s think tank is puzzling.
The former PCB chairman expressed these words while talking on a YouTube.
Highlighting the significance of partnerships in any cricket format, Raja emphasized the need for players to play smartly, consider the situation, and assess it for their development. He stressed that game awareness is crucial and players should harness their potential to understand their capabilities.
He said that the phobia of strike rate that has gripped the think tank of this team is something he could not understand. He stated that it is not clear to him on what basis they had developed this fear of strike rate when they knew that their options were limited.
“Even the new players don’t seem to understand that they need to give themselves a chance and develop a somewhat risk-free batting style to improve their strike rate, because good teams will put pressure on you and get you out,” said Ramiz Raja.
“Parnerships are a fundamental aspect, whether it is any format of the game, they remain the same. The benefit of partnerships is that playing intelligently, keeping the situation in mind, and assessing it is how players are made. In a way, in this circuit, game awareness is required, and you need to harness your potential to understand what you can or cannot do,” he added.
Raja praised Saim Ayub’s efforts during a low-scoring period but expressed confidence concerns. He questioned Azam Khan’s role and advocated for a balanced approach that combines aggressive hitting with strategic adaptability based on the match situation.
“Saim Ayub is a great example in front of you, where he attempted to take off in the phase where he wasn’t scoring, he tried to change the game, but then his confidence shattered.
Similarly, there’s Azam Khan; his role is not yet defined for me, and I don’t understand whether he’s just hitting sixes in the middle order or if he needs to take his batting forward while keeping the situation in mind. These players are wasting their potential,” he added.
