Asia Cup: 'His body language is...': Ramiz Raja feels THIS Pakistan star should be 'rested' for India tie

India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in match three of the Asia Cup 2023 edition, on Saturday (September 02) in Kandy. The two teams will meet each other for the first time since their memorable face-off in last year's T20 World Cup in Australia, where the Men in Blue won by four wickets on the last ball. Ahead of the much-awaited game, formercaptain and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja named a star batter who should be rested for the India game.

Pakistan started their campaign with a thumping win over Nepalin the tournament opener in Multan on Wednesday (August 30). Riding on Babar Azam's 151 and Iftikhar Ahmed's 109, the Men in Green posted a mammoth 342 for 6 and dismissed Nepal for 104. While everything clicked for the co-hosts, they were off to a poor start at 25 for 2 before Babarand Iftikhar came to the team's rescue.

Despite the early hiccups, Pakistan were at their dominant best. However, Ramiz feels the No. 1 ODI side should rest opener Fakhar Zaman for the India tie. Zamanhas scores of 2, 30, 27 and 14 in his last four innings, respectively. Thus, the ex-PCB chief feels 'Zaman is the big problem'.

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Ramiz said on his official YouTube channel. "The big problem is Fakhar Zaman. He is an unorthodox hitter, but when someone like that gets out of form, it takes some time to find solutions on the drawing board. He's a bottom-handed player, plays on the leg-side, somehow he adjusts with that and scores."

He added, “He played three matches against Afghanistan and couldn't make a mark as well. His body language is suffering, and Pakistan need an in-form opener. If Imam also gets dismissed cheaply, it creates pressure. Pakistan need to assess Fakhar. I believe they should rest him, give him some time out. Sidelining him is better for him as well as the Pakistan side. He's a good player, Pakistan has given him chances. But against India, with the form that he has, that chance is not worth being taken.”

It is to be noted that Zaman hasn't made it big in the last few innings but still has been among runs in the recent past. In the last 15 innings, he has four tons and a half-century under his belt. It will be interesting to see if Pakistan tinker with their winning combination and 'rest' Zaman, whose maiden ODI century came against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.

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