Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has doubted Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan opening the innings for Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Babar and Rizwan, two of teams’s premier batters, have opened together in the last two games. However, this batting combination recently received the backing of former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Ramiz Raja, who believes the duo should continue to lead Pakistan’s top order as the 2009 champions aim for another title.

While backing Azam and Rizwan as Pakistan’s preferred openers for the ICC event, Ramiz Raja acknowledged the higher strike rates of batting icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Ramiz argued that Babar and Rizwan provide greater reliability, often giving Pakistan a strong start in the powerplay overs. Interestingly, Pakistan’s sole victory at the T20 World Cup came after Babar was moved down to the number three.

Manjrekar believes the top batters should not open the innings in the tournament. Manjrekar also praised Pakistan’s decision to promote Babar Azam to the crucial no. 3 batting position in their previous match against Canada.

“Changing the batting order was a smart move. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the regular opening pair, were not aggressive enough at the start of the innings. As a result, the team has brought in a new opening batter, which should provide a helpful left-hand, right-hand combination. Overall, these changes seem to be yielding good results.” remarked Manjrekar on Star Sports.

“While Mohammad Amir’s recent form is promising, the team’s batting remains a concern. They should be able to defeat Ireland, but the Super Eight round will pose a tougher challenge, as the team does not appear as strong as some of the other squads that have already advanced,” he continued.

In their tournament opener against the USA, Babar posted 44 runs off 43 balls, while Rizwan departed for 9 runs off 8 balls. The opening partnership between the two could only muster 26 runs in Pakistan’s 6-run loss to India in New York. With two losses in Group A, Pakistan now find themselves in a must-win situation as they prepare to face Ireland on Sunday.