Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja believes that the Karachi Kings could face several problems in the spin department in the upcoming fifth edition of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League.
Raja spoke in a YouTube video, saying that the spinners of the Karachi Kings could be highly vulnerable if their captain Imad Wasim has an off day with the ball.
Raja said, “Karachi Kings’ spin department can face an attack from the opposition. If Imad Wasim has an off day, then they can come under pressure because Usama Mir is a leg-spinner. Although I believe that you should play a leg-spinner as he gives you a wicket-taking option. It remains to be seen that how much confidence they show in Usama Mir.”
He further added, “It would be interesting to see the kind of pitches Karachi Kings prepare as they have a massive home advantage.”
The 57-year-old believes that the Karachi Kings have the perfect mix of local and foreign talent in their squad. They also have other options in the big-hitting department, as Sharjeel is poised to make a comeback in the team.
“Kings have a good balance of local talent and foreign players,” Raja said.
“When you look at foreign talent, they have the likes of Alex Hales, who is an excellent opener and can give early advantage to his team through big hitting. Then there is Cameron Delport who scored a century against Qalandars last year at National Stadium. If you talk about local players, they have five players that are part of the Pakistan Twenty20 International (T20I) squad. There is all-round talent in their local players such as Iftikhar Ahmed, Rizwan Ahmed and Imad Wasim.”
“Plus, Babar Azam is the highest-ranked T20I batsman in the world, who can take the innings along as well do power hitting.”
Raja signed off by saying that the Karachi Kings will only be able to perform well if they are able to gel well as a team.
