Younis Khan urges top-order to score big

• Pakistan's top batsmen need to accelerate in the middle overs.
• Younis believes 170 runs is no longer a defendable total in T20Is.
• Bowlers must be ready to contribute at any stage of the game.

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain who steered the team to T20 World Cup triumph, has expressed his belief that the team’s leading batsmen, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman, need to accelerate their scoring rate during the middle overs of T20I matches.

In a media interaction, Younis stressed the importance of maintaining a run rate of 8 to 9 runs per over during the middle stage following the powerplay.

“If a team scores 200 runs, they will be in a position to save the match, a score of 170 is not sufficient anymore,” Younis stated.

“Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Rizwan will have to go to the next gear. Nowadays, more runs can be scored at a rapid pace, it is the responsibility of the players to play aggressively,” he added.

Younis also highlighted the necessity for players to be flexible enough to bat in any order and for bowlers to be ready to step into the game at any moment.

“The captain will have to think out of the box, and players will also have to come out of their comfort zones together. Every player should assist the captain; do not leave everything on one person because a plan cannot be made on just one person,” he concluded.

It’s noteworthy that Pakistan is scheduled to play their first T20I against Ireland on Friday. The next two matches will take place on Sunday and Tuesday, before the team departs for a series of four T20Is against England.

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