Sohaib Maqsood’s inclusion strengthens Pakistan’s middle-order: Mohammad Rizwan

Star wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan believes that hard-hitting batsman Sohaib Maqsood’s inclusion in the squad is likely to strengthen the middle-order in the upcoming series against England.

The 34-year-old was selected in the limited-overs squad for the tours of England and West Indies in place of young Haider Ali who was dropped after breaking the bio-secure bubble ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 final in Abu Dhabi.

While talking to the media in a virtual press conference, Rizwan expressed optimism in Maqsood, who according to him can produce the goods for the national team.

“It is true that we have been struggling in the middle-order for quite some time now,” he said. “But I am very hopeful that in the upcoming series, we will be able to find that solution. Sohaib Maqsood’s inclusion strengthens the team’s middle-order. He performed well during the first-half of the PSL in Karachi where he batting in the middle-order and I am sure he can produce similar kind of performances for Pakistan as well.” Maqsood was named the Player-of-the-tournament in the PSL 2021 after scoring 428 runs at an average of 47.55 along with the strike-rate of 156.77,