Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop has backed Pakistan batter Mohammad Haris’ capability in international cricket, claiming he is “exactly what white-ball cricket needs.”
On commentary duty for the ongoing Champions Trophy match between Afghanistan and England in Lahore, the discussion between Bishop and co-conmentators Ian Smith and Nasser Hussain turned to Pakistan’s national team.
After two uninspiring defeats in their first two matches of the tournament, Pakistan were eliminated inside four days of the first ICC event they have hosted since 1996.
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Bishop: There is talent in Pakistan cricket
“They've got some good young fast bowlers around this country. Really good bowlers, got to groom them well. There's hope, there is talent,” Bishop began.
When Hussain pointed to a couple of significant injuries to Pakistan batters Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman, Bishop replied, “Even on that, Nasser, it's strength in depth.
“That's what New Zealand have going for them, for example, very well. It's what India have going for them very well. There's a young man called Mohammad Haris around Pakistan here, who I think…he’s inconsistent but he's exactly what white-ball cricket needs. How can you build a guy like that?”
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What does Haris bring to the table?
Much of the ire of Pakistan’s fans and experts has been directed at the side's top-order batters for not scoring at the rate that is perhaps required for them to put opposition teams under significant pressure.
The 23-year-old Haris has played six ODIs and nine T20Is for Pakistan already, averaging 7.5 and 14 with the bat respectively thus far.
Haris made his name in the T20 format as a quick scorer, not necessarily a heavy one – as evidenced by a career record which sees him average 23 but strike at 145.6 after 109 matches. In List A cricket, Haris averages a shade under 30 and scores at better than a run-a-ball.
His last match for Pakistan came in an ODI against Sri Lanka in September 2023, just ahead of that year’s World Cup. Most recently, Haris was involved in the Bangladesh Premier League where he scored 168 runs in 10 innings for Durbar Rajshahi.
In a Champions Trophy warm-up match, he represented a Pakistan Shaheens outfit against Bangladesh and scored 76 off 73 balls in a chase of 203, before retiring hurt.
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