With victories against New Zealand and Bangladesh in the tri-series, Pakistan is showing some promising indications leading up to the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The Men in Green lost their middle-order batsmen, Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan, with 37 runs scored in 5.2 overs while chasing a total of 147 runs against the home team.
In place of the usual right-hander Haider Ali, the management sent all-rounder Shadab Khan at number four. He provided much-needed support with 34 runs off 22 balls, including two boundaries and two maximums, to lead the team to a six-wicket victory.
The fans eagerly reacted to the alteration that saw Shadab bat at number four, and the hashtag “No.4” was quickly used to highlight the development on social media.
It is important to note that since the middle order has been continually failing to provide support, past cricket players and experts have been calling for this choice to move him to number four.
Here are some of the mixed reactions from fans:
This makes more sense @76Shadabkhan at No 4. Good win @TheRealPCB and @babarazam258 and @HarisRauf14 were special #NZvPAK
— Sikandar Bakht (@ImSikandarB) October 8, 2022
Facing Middle Order problems ??
One Solution: SHADAB KHAN At
No.4 ????????#PAKVNZ pic.twitter.com/GjyNN6tTce— Ch Moaz ????❤️ (@chmoaz14) October 8, 2022
No. 4 is good for Shadab Khan #BabarAzam???? Haider Ali also did good pic.twitter.com/nYU0Mswc7u
— Shahzan⁵⁶ (@imshahzan56) October 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/56_cuteness/status/1578675146021564417
Shadab Khan's first innings at No.4 in T20Is.
Is he the solution to Pakistan's middle-order problem? #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/j8Zc3gPnex
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 8, 2022
Facing Middle Order problems ??
One Solution: SHADAB KHAN At
No.4 ????????#PAKVNZ pic.twitter.com/GjyNN6tTce— Ch Moaz ????❤️ (@chmoaz14) October 8, 2022
No. 4 is good for Shadab Khan #BabarAzam???? Haider Ali also did good pic.twitter.com/nYU0Mswc7u
— Shahzan⁵⁶ (@imshahzan56) October 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/56_cuteness/status/1578675146021564417
Shadab Khan's first innings at No.4 in T20Is.
Is he the solution to Pakistan's middle-order problem? #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/j8Zc3gPnex
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 8, 2022
Brilliant batting by Babar Azam,played with a strike rate of 149 and took PAK to victory. Change in batting order sending Shadab at no 4 also helped PAK to achieve the target, well done Pakistan #PAKvNZ
— Mirza Iqbal Baig (@mirzaiqbal80) October 8, 2022
Read More: New Zealand T20I Tri-series 2022 Schedule: Fixture of Pakistan Vs New Zealand and Bangladesh
