Mohammad Haris and Sahibzada Farhan (Source: AFP)
Sahibzada Farhan has been drafted into the Pakistan T20I side after consistent performances in domestic cricket and PSL. He has been handed a role to play an aggressive brand of cricket at the top of the order, but the batter has not been able to deliver with consistency so far.
Why Sahibzada Farhan Could Be Dropped?
The right-handed batter has scored three fifties for Pakistan in T20Is in 2025, but in the UAE tri-series, he could not get a substantial score in any of the matches. He could score just 63 runs in five matches at an average of 12.60 and departed for a three-ball duck in the final against Afghanistan.
Thus, the pressure is building on the right-hander, and the Pakistan management might try out someone different at the opening position in his place. In the current Asia Cup squad, there are options like Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz who have opened for Pakistan in the past.
However, out of the three, Haris is the best candidate to replace Sahibzada Farhan as opener for the Asia Cup. Let's see the reasons for it.
Why Is Harris A Better Opening Option Than Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz?
In the current Pakistan squad, Fakhar Zaman has settled down at number 3, while Hasan Nawaz is doing brilliantly in the middle order. Fakhar also scored 77 against the UAE at that position, and thus changing his position directly in the Asia Cup could prove counter-productive.
In the same way, Hasan Nawaz has provided the firepower in the middle order that Pakistan desperately needed, and thus, they would not like to tinker with his position either. Thus, it leaves them with the option of Mohammad Haris, who is finding it hard to get a perfect place in the middle order, and Pakistan are constantly shuffling him in the batting order.
Haris' Promising Opening Record In T20s
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 35 |
| Runs | 816 |
| Average | 23.3 |
| Strike-Rate | 154.8 |
| 100/50 | 0/4 |
Mohammad Haris' record as an opener in T20Is is not great, but he has done well in domestic cricket and franchise leagues as an opening batter. He has a strike rate of over 150 and has four fifties to his name at that position, which makes him a worthy option for the top-order role.
Haris Fits Perfectly Into Pakistan's Need Of An Aggressive Opener
Also, Mohammad Haris' fearless brand of cricket fits perfectly into the brand of cricket Pakistan are expecting from their openers. Sahibzada Farhan has tried to play aggressively but failed in the UAE tri-series, and so Haris, who has a natural tendency to go after the bowling from the onset, could excel in that role.
Also, opening the innings would free-up Mohammad Haris as he would not be needed to adjust his game according to the situation that the player sometimes needs to do in the middle order. Also, he can utilise the fielding restrictions in the Powerplay nicely, and some runs early in his innings can help him get back his lost confidence at the international level.
Mohammad Haris is also the only genuine wicketkeeper in the Pakistan's Asia Cup squad and so they need to find a better way to use him. If he replaces Sahibzada Farhan, it would not disrupt the rest of the batting line-up and Pakistan could fit in an extra all-rounder in the lower middle order. Thus, trying out Mohammad Haris as opener could be a masterstroke for Pakistan and he could turn out to their x-factor in Asia Cup.
