‘Pakistan middle-order batters should play hockey before T20 World Cup’

Former Pakistan hockey captain Mohammad Saqlain believes that the middle-order batters of the national cricket team should play hockey in order to improve their hand-eye coordination.

Saqlain made the tongue-in-cheek comment during the first semi-final, between Punjab Colour and Punjab White, during the ongoing CM Balochistan Gold Cup Hockey tournament in Quetta on Sunday.

“Pakistan’s middle-order batters, who will go for T20 World Cup, should play hockey in order to improve their hand-eye coordination,” said Saqlain.

"Pakistan's middle-order batters, who will go for #T20WorldCup, should play hockey in order to improve their hand-eye coordination."

Tongue-in-cheek comment by ex-Pakistan captain Saqlain 😅

He added that ex-Pakistan captain @iRashidLatif68 was a great hockey player as well.

— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) October 2, 2022

He added that ex-Pakistan Rashid Latif was a great hockey player as well.

It must be noted that the Pakistan middle-order has been regularly criticised, over the past few months, due to their inconsistent performances with the bat.

Pakistan squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: (changes can be made to the squad till 15 October, without needing the Event Technical Committee’s approval):

Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Asif Ali (Northern), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khushdil Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Junior (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab)

Traveling reserves: Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh).