We will look to fix middle order issues - Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said that the think-tank will focus on a 'couple of positions' in the middle order ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held later this year.

The visitors, who landed in England two days ago, have enough T20I games to fix their issues. Pakistan will play three ODIs and three T20Is against the 2016 World T20 runners-up - England - and they will follow it up with five T20Is versus the defending champions, the West Indies.

Incidentally, since Misbah took over the reins, Pakistan have tried 14 players at those two positions. In the next month, Azam Khan and Shoaib Maqsood will be vying to cement their positions in the middle order.

"The PSL made a few things clear," Misbah said on Sunday (June 27). "I think it is that one slot we are trying to fill, at No. 5 and No. 6, that we've had issues with. We have Azam Khan now and Sohaib Maqsood with us to see if they can, and what combination we can make with them.

"Overall, the bowling we know we have pretty much our attack. At the top of the order we have our four pretty much and their replacements. So, we know our side more or less but a couple of positions that we need to focus on over the next two series."

Azam, however, scored only 174 runs for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2020-21. Even though Maqsood finished with 428 runs in the tournament, the experienced batsman prefers to bat in the top order.

"We try that whatever players we have here are fully prepared and that we show confidence in them so they go out there and perform. Azam no doubt is talented although he is a little out of form recently. But everyone knows that in modern T20 cricket, the power you need at five or six, the strike rate you need, he has the potential for that. So, looking forward to seeing him, we just have to see what combination we want to go with."

Due to the Covid-19 situation and various restrictions, Pakistan had to select the squad before the resumption of the PSL. Due to