The power-hitting batsman from Pakistan, Fakhar Zaman, has expressed satisfaction with a new batting position slated for the forthcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, commencing on January 12 in Auckland.

The 33-year-old revealed a directive from the coach and team captain to bat one down or two down, a shift from his customary role as an opener.

Acknowledging the competitive environment within the team for batting positions, Zaman emphasized its significance in team development.

“Competition is vital for any team. It’s positive that six players are vying for a single spot in the team. I’ve primarily opened for the team, but considering the situation, I’ve been instructed to bat one down or two down because, as you know, Babar and Rizwan have been performing as openers,” Fakhar stated.

“The coach and captain have asked me to bat one down or two down, and I am content with that,” he added.

Pakistan Squad: Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s New Zealand Tour:

• January 12: New Zealand vs. Pakistan – First T20I in Auckland
• January 14: New Zealand vs. Pakistan – Second T20I in Hamilton
• January 17: New Zealand vs. Pakistan – Third T20I in Dunedin
• January 19: New Zealand vs. Pakistan – Fourth T20I in Christchurch
• January 21: New Zealand vs. Pakistan – Fifth T20I in Christchurch

Shadab Khan concluded his spell with impressive figures of 4-27 in 6.4 overs, playing a significant role in Pakistan’s dominant victory. The match saw Pakistan overwhelming Nepal by an astounding margin of 238 runs.

Fakhar Zaman’s extraordinary catch, Shadab Khan’s stellar bowling performance, and Pakistan’s commanding win collectively set the stage for an enthralling and memorable kick-off to the much-anticipated Asia Cup.

Pakistani batsman Imam-ul Haque is a regular batting partner with both of them. He started the innings with Fakhar Zaman. Babar Azam is number three. Great success has come in pairing pairs with both of them. Their names are in the record books. After such a record, Imam recounted his batting experience with Fakhar and Babar.

Imam and Babar shared a 108-run stand for the second wicket in Karachi in the third ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday to set the foundation for Pakistan’s win. They touched a record in this pair. This is the ninth ODI century partnership between the two. Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf reached the highest number of hundreds in ODIs for Pakis Imam and Fakhar.

Younis-Yusuf made a pair of 9 centuries in 68 innings. The pair of Imam-Fakhar caught them in just 31 innings. Imam and Fakhar duo are not far behind in success. These two left-handers have an average of 7 centuries in 53 innings together. They are number three in the record of century pairs for Pakistan. Inzamam-ul-Haq Yousuf’susuf pair is second in the record for 8 centuries.

On the day of the record-breaking pair of centuries, Imam himself narrowly missed out on a century. However, he played an innings of 90 runs and was the best of the match in Pakistan’s 26-run win. In the press conference after the match, he shared his experience of batting with partners of two successful pairs. He said the two are completely different. Fakhr does not speak at all, and Babar is never silent. Both are so different genres. Babar knows me very well. He knows what is going on inside me. I like to bat with both of them.
He also said, “In fact, if anyone is given a chance for a long time… our three top-order batsmen in ODIs, we have been playing for several days.” I think that’s why our duo gels so well and we have been playing together for a long time, 5-6 years. In between, we played well and played badly. Always try to do better.

According to the imam, the personal relationship and closeness that the two have for a long time is useful in 22 yards. I enjoyed batting with both of them. I have been playing with Fakhar for a long time. My friendship with Babar is so good that I understand clearly what is going to happen. There is a lot of talk about both of them saying, ‘It should be done this way and not that way.’ Both ly are different. I like to bat with both of them.

Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman has been nominated for the ICC Player of the Month for April. Apart from him, the other two players who got nominations are Lankan left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and Kiwi batsman Mark Chapman. Fakhar Zaman is in great form with the bat. He scored centuries in the first two matches of the ODI series against New Zealand. In the second one-day match in Rawalpindi, he played an unbeaten innings of 180 runs off 144 balls to chase runs. Based on his innings, Pakistan won by chasing the second-highest run in their history.

Earlier, he played a key role in winning the team by playing an innings of 117 runs off 114 balls in the first ODI at the same venue. He also scored runs in the T20 series. This is why the 33-year-old batsman is in the running for April’s Player of the Month. Clunky left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya is also in the running for best of the month. Jayasuriya achieved the milestone of 50 wickets in just 7 Tests. The fastest in cricket history. Jayasuriya took 17 wickets in the 2-match Test series against Ireland at home.

Mark Chapman of New Zealand is also with Fakhar and Jayasuriya. Chapman scored a century in the final match of the five-match T20 series against Pakistan. With this victory, New Zealand was able to prevent the loss of the T20 series in Pakistan. Apart from the innings of 104 runs from 57 balls, this batsman played another innings of 71 runs from 42 balls in this series.