Pakistan's batting Mohammad Yousuf says he is working hard with his batters on playing both sides of the wicket in order to put pressure on the bowlers.

Lack of stability in the middle order has been an area of concern for the Pakistan side as different options are being tested for the third, fourth and fifth spots. Pakistan's batters have been sometimes been critiqued for their one-dimensional approach as compared to someone like Ben Duckett from England, who was seen on the charge against the spinners in the ongoing T20I series.

Duckett was seen playing the sweep, reverse sweep and lap sweep consistently against Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Qadir which had sometimes left the two spinners almost out of options.

In an answer to a question from Wasim Akram, who is in the commentary panel for the ongoing T20I series against England, Yousuf said playing the sweep and reverse sweep was an area of focus for him while he is working with the batters in the net sessions.

"Since I have joined the side, I talk to Saqlain bhai [Saqlain Mushtaq] almost everyday on how can we play on all sides of the wicket. When you play 360 degrees, the bowlers have nowhere to go. When the bowlers know that you cannot score in a certain area, they can restrict you by not bowling in your comfort zone," Yousuf said after the end of sixth T20I.

"In the nets when the spinners are bowling, I go on the backside or side of the net and keep telling the batters to go for the conventional or reverse sweep. Because when we used to play, we had a player with us who knew where the bowler would bowl at him.

"So I keep telling the batters, for example if the bowler bowls outside off-stump you can aim over extra cover since it is a safe option. Even if it is a mis-hit, you can get two runs. Or if the bowler aims within the stumps, you can launch him over his head," added Yousuf.

Yousuf then cited the example of Khushdil Shah and his new array of shots, which consists of the conventional sweep, reverse sweep and a launch over extra cover. 

"If you see Khushdil recently, he had played a reverse sweep and sweep in an ODI against West Indies. Then he hit Moeen Ali over extra cover and also played the reverse sweep.

"So the work is in progress, I am not sure if these things are a bit new for these guys. And I keep on talking about this with our management as well as the chief selector Mohammad Wasim."

Asked if Pakistan have locked down the spots for their vulnerable middle order, Yousuf mentioned that a variety of players and combinations have been tested in the ongoing series, which also highlights the importance of this series. The upcoming tri-series alongside New Zealand and Bangladesh will also be a good opportunity for Pakistan to further try out their players and lock down the combination for World Cup.

"It is a tough question, but in order to find the right combination, this series was important. We are trying in this aspect as well, we played Haris as well, Aamer Jamal, Shan Masood. Haider Ali is there too," said Yousuf.

"Number wise, we are also trying to find out. We are sure about our top three. Afterwards, it depends on the situation. Sometimes you need to have a left hand right hand combination. We are trying in this aspect and we are hopeful that we can find the right combination before the World Cup. 

"The guys and management are also working on this, everyday we have a chat about our best combination for the World Cup. And this series is a good preparation for that. We have New Zealand tour coming up as well," he concluded.

Pakistan and England will play the final T20I of the series tomorrow.