Former Pakistan cricketers Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Hafeez engaged in a heated on-air argument following the team’s loss to England in their T20 Super 8 clash on Tuesday. The defeat severely dented Pakistan’s semi-final hopes; they now must win their final game against Sri Lanka and rely on other results to swing in their favor. With Pakistan staring at a tournament exit, the two legends clashed over all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz’s role during a dicussion on ‘Game on Hai’ show. While Saqlain maintained that Nawaz possesses equal potential with both bat and ball, Hafeez argued that his primary responsibility is to take wickets.
The heated exchange unfolded as follows:
Saqlain: “He’s a bit of both. You cannot talk about him in that manner.”
Hafeez: “What’s his first preference-is he a batter or a bowler?”
Saqlain: “I feel he is equally good at batting and bowling.”
Hafeez: “Then why not use him at No. 5?”
Saqlain: “He has been. In fact, when I was with the Pakistan team, I had him bat at No. 5. He has the potential.”
Hafeez: “So, is he a batsman who can bowl? What is his priority? I played for Pakistan as an all-rounder, but my primary job was batting. For Nawaz, it is bowling. If he cannot do that, he doesn’t belong in the side.”
The tension followed a frustrating week for Pakistan. After their clash against New Zealand was washed out, a win against England was vital.
However, England captain Harry Brook dismantled the Pakistan attack, smashing a 51-ball century to rescue his side from 58/4 and steer them past the 165-run target.
Brook’s knock propelled England into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup with a narrow two-wicket victory.
England has won all five of its games in Pallekele in the last 3 1/2 weeks and will finish the Super Eights in Colombo against New Zealand on Friday.