In his latest blog for PakPassion.net, former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail writes about Fakhar Zaman's double-hundred, whether Fakhar should be picked for the Test side, Imam-ul-Haq's start in international cricket, Sarfaraz Ahmed's and Babar Azam's batting positions in the ODI team and Mohammad Hafeez's woes in Zimbabwe.

By Aamir Sohail (28th July, 2018)

Fakhar Zaman's double-hundred

There were so many Pakistani batsmen over the years who had the potential to score a double-hundred in One-Day cricket but couldn't really reach that mark, but the way Fakhar approaches his batting, this landmark was always going to be on the cards and he just had to grab the opportunity. However, I'm not saying he should change his natural game, but he has to now realise that these kind of free-flowing innings happen once or twice in a lifetime. He has to have a bit of a re-think about when he is playing against stronger sides and how to manage his innings in terms of which balls to go after and which balls to show respect to and I think this is something he needs to learn. He should have the confidence now and the know-how of how to compete against stronger sides and that's where he has to capitalise and I want to see that happen.


Fakhar Zaman in all three formats?

I think he should be given a chance in Test cricket. If you look at the Pakistani set-up at the moment in Test cricket, you don't have the potential to go beyond 300 runs in a day. Having someone like Fakhar in the line-up gives you something different and backed by the bowling attack Pakistan currently has, which has the capability of taking 20 wickets in a match, you need a batsman like Fakhar to set things up for the bowlers. I believe there is definitely room for Fakhar in the current Pakistan Test side.


Imam-ul-Haq's start in international cricket

Before criticising him and making a judgement on him, just let the young man prove himself. Don't keep on saying he has been picked because he is the nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq. It seems some people are criticising him just because he is Inzamam's nephew. So far, he has proven a lot of people wrong and I am very happy for him. He's doing well and I was particularly impressed with him in the run-chase in the Ireland Test match. He never panicked and he looked comfortable out there and he wasn't fazed when a few wickets fell around him. He kept on batting in a compact way and he eventually helped Pakistan win a tricky Test match. It was a very impressive performance from him and the way he is going about his batting is heartening to see. There are one or two glitches in his technique which you would expect at this stage and which he has to improve upon and I think he will do that and have a good career for Pakistan.

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