Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has expressed his discontent over the strategic allocation of bowling responsibilities during the powerplay overs.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ajmal called for a reevaluation of the current strategy that sees Haris Rauf bowling in the powerplay.
The 46-year-old said he should always bowl after the powerplay with the spinner bowling in the first ten overs.
"I’ve been saying this for a long time to not make Haris bowl with the new ball. His overs with the new ball have not been so good lately. He should be given his first over after the powerplay instead of him; maybe give Nawaz or Usama an over," Ajmal posted.
The seasoned spinner's opinion has raised valid concerns regarding the utilisation of Haris Rauf in the initial stages of the innings.
Rauf, known for his fiery pace and ability to extract bounce, has been entrusted with the responsibility of providing early breakthroughs, However, his recent performances in the powerplay overs have been less than impressive.
He conceded 24 runs in his first over against Australia followed by 17 against Afghanistan today.
It must be noted that Afghanistan are in firm position to win against Pakistan. Their opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran posted an opening partnership of 130 in a chase of 283.
Earlier, the coin fell in Babar Azam’s favour and Pakistan opted to bat first in the match. They made a sole change to their playing XI as vice-captain Shadab Khan was back in the team in place of sick Mohammad Nawaz. Afghanistan also made a change to their playing XI as Noor Ahmad replaced Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Pakistan finished on 282/7. Skipper Babar Azam made 74 off 92 balls while opener Abdullah Shafique made 58 off 75.
Shadab Khan (40) and Iftikhar Ahmed (40) gave the final touches, leading Pakistan to a great total.
Afghanistan's 18-year-old spinner Noor Ahmad bagged figures of 3/48 in his debut game of the competition.
