"You should be rigid on winning the match"- Shahid Afridi requests Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to give up opening spot ahead of T20 World Cup semifinals

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has requested current captain Babar Azam to sacrifice his opening spot ahead of their T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Sydney on Wednesday, November 9.

Babar has had a horrible tournament with the bat so far, having scored just 39 runs from five innings at an appalling strike rate of 61.90. His opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan just hasn't been able to give Pakistan the flying starts they would have liked.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Afridi gave his opinion on why it is important for explosive players like Shadab Khan and Mohammad Haris to face more deliveries, especially in the powerplay. Here's what he tweeted:

"@babarazam258 we need fire power at the top with batters who are showing clear intent like Haris and Shahdab. Plz consider Haris opening with Riz and you one down followed by ur next best hitter. You should be rigid on winning the match and flexible on a balanced batting line up."

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Babar Azam and Rizwan's pairing hasn't worked so far

There has been a lot of talk surrounding how overdependent Pakistan could be on their openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. However, this T20 World Cup has been exactly the opposite of that as it has been the middle-order with the likes of Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan rescuing Pakistan.

The inclusion of Mohammad Haris in place of injured Fakhar Zaman has arguably been a blessing in disguise as his intent at the crease has been refreshing. Whether Babar takes Afridi's advice and demotes himself to No.3 against New Zealand is something only time will tell.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood.

Standby Players: Shahnawaz Dahani.