Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris needs to put up a better show on the field if he wants to gain the trust of the selectors.
Butt’s remarks came after Haris was once again ignored by the PCB selection committee while naming the squad for the upcoming T20I matches against Ireland and England.
“Azam Khan, Saim Ayub and Iftikhar Ahmed are all explosive players. Shadab Khan is also a solid hitter and Imad Wasim is the same. Usman Khan also performed in PSL so where would you place Mohammad Haris? Haris has had plenty of opportunities and maybe he needs to ask himself about whether he has done justice to his chances and talent because he is extremely talented. His look is attractive because of the way he can strike the ball,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel.
“Sometimes he plays shots which were not required at that time of the match and this was not just restricted to T20I cricket because he also did that while playing for Pakistan A. When somebody does this time and again, you have to ask if he is ready and mentally present in the ground. These things can create doubt in the selectors’ minds.
“I’m sure, with his talent, everyone wants him to play, including me. But he needs to show more presence of mind, show more practicality while batting and in simple terms only do what is necessary.”
Haris has played nine T20Is for Pakistan and has scored 126 runs at a strike-rate of 127.27. He has an average of 14 and highest score of 31 in the shortest format of the game.
An 18-player Pakistan squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England this month was announced on Thursday. The squad will be reduced to 15 players for next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after the first T20I against England at Leeds on 22 May.
Pakistan squad for Ireland and England T20Is
Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan
