Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has announced to form a “strike force” in order to revamp and enhance the performance of the national team in the T20 format, sources told Geo News on Sunday.
This specialised group will feature 50 talented, young, and hard-hitting batters, who will be selected purely on merit from across the country. According to the sources, former pacer Abdul Razzaq will oversee the selection process to ensure the inclusion of players with exceptional power-hitting potential.
Following their selection, the raw talent will be trained to hit long sixes and fours.
The move is a part of PCB’s plans to infuse young talent to the national T20 squad, a transition, which according to the sources is aimed to be completed within a year.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan have consistently been facing setbacks in the shortest format.
The green shirts played their first bilateral T20I series against Australia last month since their disastrous ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
The Mohammad Rizwan-led side, who secured a historic victory in the prior ODI series, failed to end their woes in the format as they suffered a 3-0 series whitewash.
The green shirts then featured in a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, where they prevailed 2-1 failed to stamp their authority after losing the final fixture.
The national team kicked off their ongoing tour to South Africa with a three-match T20I series, which was won 2-0 by the hosts. The green shirts suffered defeats in the opening two T20Is, while the last fixture was abandoned due to rain.
