T20 World Cup: 'Haris might force Rizwan, Babar to come down the order,' says Sehwag

KARACHI: Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag heaped massive praise on Pakistan's young batter Mohammad Haris after his quick-fire knock against South Africa in their T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

In the first over of the innings, after Mohammad Rizwan was sent back to the pavilion by Wayne Parnell, Haris, who replaced injured Fakhar Zaman, took the field with skipper Babar Azam and showed great intent. In his quick-fire 28-run knock off 11 balls, Haris smashed three maximums and two boundaries.

The former Indian top-order batter said that Haris might force Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to come down the order and take the opening place.

"The way he [Mohammad Haris] batted, his future is bright. He took on South Africa on Australian pitches. He might have scored 28, but they're no less than a 60. He could play slowly and could have scored his own runs, but the way he played, was incredible. If he continues playing like this, he might force Rizwan and Babar to come down the order," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

After hitting three sixes, he wrote his name in the short list of Pakistani batters who hit three sixes in the powerplay of an innings.

Earlier, Imran Nazir and Haider Ali managed to hit over the rope three times in the first six overs.

Pakistan, on Thursday, beat South Africa by 33 runs (DLS method), thanks to a sensational performance from Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Opting to bat first, the green shirts posted 185 runs on the scoreboard before restricting the Proteas to 109-9 in 14 allotted overs.