Ahead of the much-anticipated semi-final clash between Pakistan and New Zealand, all eyes of cricket pundits will be on New Zealand’s Finn Allen and Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris. Both of them play a crucial role of improving the team’s scoring rate when they come in to bat at the top. While Allen opens the batting, Haris has been used as a floater so far; opening in one match and coming in to bat at number 3. Haris’ inclusion is similar to that of Fakhar Zaman, who was introduced in the middle of the Champions Trophy 2017 – a move that paid rich dividends for Pakistan then.
Both these batsmen make good use of the bowler’s pace by displaying their skills in their stroke-making. Recently, when the Pakistan team went on a tour of New Zealand, Allen scored a half-century in Christchurch. Last year, against Bangladesh too, he got a half-century at a strike rate of over 200. In this World Cup as well, his cameo knock against Australia and Ireland, which were worth watching.
This player also has experience of playing at various leagues. Fast bowlers can control him by bowling yorkers or fuller lengths while the spinners can dodge him on good flight. He was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana on a ball that skidded away resulting in him getting stumped. Likewise, Allen was dodged by a Shadab Khan flight at Christchurch. He scored a century against Scotland in the same year, but there too he was dismissed getting out to spin.
On the other hand, Haris will be responsible for accelerating the run-rate, especially in the power-plays. He donned some cameo roles against Bangladesh and South Africa, thereby strengthening Pakistan’s batting.
Looking at his stroke-making skills, he hit against Ibadat Hossain of Bangladesh and Kagiso Rabada of South Africa. It did not seem that a young batsman could face such experienced bowlers at such ease.
Even, Pakistani legend Shahid Afridi was also impressed by Haris’ batting. He tweeted that no one in the Pakistan team has as much knowledge of T20 cricket as Haris. Waqar Younis also supported Afridi’s tweet. In fact Haris isn’t scared of facing the short balls or the hard length balls that works wonders in Australia. In both his innings at the World Cup, he targeted the areas where the boundaries were short.
Although, Haris is a fan of Jos Buttler, he believes to bat the way knows – the flamboyant way. He credits his parents for the fearlessness with which he plays. When he was first selected in Peshawar’s Under-19 team, he was called Mr Google because he had a very good understanding of cricket. Soon, Haris came to Pakistan’s Under-19 team. Having made a mark in the PSL, and now getting a place in the national team, he has high hopes from the Pakistanis; to come out all guns blazing at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday against a famed Kiwi bowling attack spearheaded by Tim Southee and
Trent Boult.
