One big issue for Pakistan remain Mohammad Haris and his batting position.
Since Mike Hesson was appointed head coach, Pakistan have tried playing an aggressive brand of cricket and have been able to do so to an extent. They have trialled a few new faces and different combinations; some of those moves have worked for the team. However, one big issue for them remains Mohammad Haris and his batting position.
In the current setup, Pakistan have tried using him in the lower order when all their players have been available. But he has never been a lower-order batter and always batted in the top three. That’s where his best has come, domestically and internationally.
Pakistan have settled with Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Fakhar Zaman as their top three and given them a long run. While consistency has been inconsistent, the three have performed well in patches and might start in the Asia Cup 2025. That means Mohammad Haris had to bat at No.5 or below, with Salman Agha taking the No.4 slot.
But he has failed to adjust, and it’s hard to blame him, given he has played in the top order all his career. 73.07% of Haris’ T20I innings have come in the top three and scored most of his career runs. While batting in the top three, he has 348 runs at an average of 19.33 and a strike rate of 143.20 in 19 innings, including a century.
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Outside the top three, he averages a mere 10 and strikes at 130.43 in seven outings, with a best of 31. Even in his overall T20 career, Haris has played 83.58% of his total games in the top three, scoring 2501 runs at an average of 23.15 and a 146.85 strike rate in 112 innings, including 14 fifties and a century. Hence, he doesn’t know how to approach the innings when he has fewer balls to face or uncharacteristic situations.
This year, he has batted at No.4 or below six times and averaged 5.80. He has registered five single-digit scores, including an unbeaten knock. At this stage, the experiment is failing.
There’s a certain way in which Mohammad Haris builds his innings. While batting in the top three, he manages to start steadily and score reasonably quickly throughout his stay. When he bats between No.1 and 3 in T20Is, Haris strikes at 153.53 in the powerplay, 141.07 in the middle overs, and 314.28 in the death overs since 2024.
That’s because he has batted in the top order all his career and understands how to build an innings by targeting precise bowlers. However, in other positions, he strikes at 66.66 in the powerplay, 25 in the middle overs, and 133.33 in death overs. The entry points also paint the same story.
In 2025, whenever Haris enters at the crease within the first six overs, he has an average of 27.55 and a strike rate of 167.56. There have been two instances where he came between over 7 and 12, and his average and strike rate are 3 and 33.33. Similarly, while coming in the 13th over or ahead, Haris averages a mere 8 and strikes at 133.33.
The sample size is small, but he has clearly shown signs of lacking method. Since the tracks will be slow in the UAE, his issues will only exacerbate against better teams. Hence, Pakistan must find different ways to use him.
If Mohammad Haris plays, he must bat in the top three, or his value remains minimal. Unfortunately, the team has a settled top three that has enough backing from the management. So, Haris can’t break here unless one of them gets injured.
So, Pakistan should instead opt for someone who can perform a better job in the lower order. Among the selected ones for the Asia Cup 2025, Khushdil Shah seems best suited for multiple reasons. The most prominent reason is his improved pace game and experience batting in the lower order.
He has a strike rate of 166.95 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 4.03 against pacers this year. All of his 24 innings in 2025 have come at No.5 or below, including nine at No.6 and five at No.7. He has scored 570 runs at an average of 33.52 and a strike rate of 146.52 in 24 innings, including three fifties.
Additionally, he can bowl useful left-arm spin and give a few overs with the ball on helpful decks of the UAE. In the ongoing tri-series, spinners have had ample assistance and wreaked havoc across phases. Similar conditions will be on offer in the Asia Cup 2025, and Khushdil can contribute heavily.
Regarding wicketkeeping, Sahibzada Farhan can don the gloves and act as a wicketkeeper-batter. He has played seven T20s as a specialised wicketkeeper and even kept wickets in one of the PSL 2025 games for Islamabad United, as Azam Khan and Andries Gous didn’t feature. He can be a long-term wicketkeeping option for Pakistan across white-ball formats.
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