"Problematic": Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja raises concern over Shadab, Azam's form

Former cricketer Ramiz Raja pinpointed the struggles of Pakistan batters Azam Khan and Shadab Khan following their performance against England in the second T20I of the four-match series.

Former cricketer Ramiz Raja pinpointed the struggles of Pakistan batters Azam Khan and Shadab Khan following their performance against England in the second T20I of the four-match series. A couple of players in the Pakistan camp failed to deliver when the situation asked them to. This led to the visitors succumbing to a 23-run defeat on a sunny day at Edgbaston on Saturday.

After the opening duo of Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan failed to deliver in the powerplay, Pakistan's middle-order set-up rose to the challenge. However, Shadab and Azam struggled to spread their wings against a fierce English line-up. Azam fell to Jofra Archer while attempting to execute a cover drive.

Ramiz described Azam's hardships against pace as "problematic" and a factor that could be used by top teams to make the batter step out of his comfort zone. "Azam Khan's batting against pace is problematic. With the team, as big teams will analyse him, they will use short balls against him, and they will make him come out of his comfort zone. His strike rate against spin is very good but not against pace," Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.

Along with Azam, Shadab Khan also struggled to leave his impression with the bat. He got bamboozled by experienced Adil Rashid's spin for a score of 3. The former PCB chairman questioned the role of the all-rounder with the bat and his approach at the number five role.

"I need to understand Shadab Khan's role with the bat. When he comes to bat, he starts hitting like a slogger at number 5. At that time, you needed to build a partnership and take the game deep with wickets in hands," he added. Coming to the match, England skipper Jos Buttler's 84-run blitz off 51 deliveries propelled the hosts to 183/7 after being put to bat. In reply, it was a collective effort from Pakistan batters to help their team get across the line. However, none of them stayed on the pitch long enough to see off the game for the visitors.

Most of them lost their wicket while attempting to clear the boundary rope during the chase of 184. England bowlers played their cards at the right time to clinch a 23-run win. (ANI)

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