Rashid Latif: “If Sharjeel comes back, then Fakhar Zaman might be written off and his career might come to an end”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former captain Rashid Latif believes that opening batsman Fakhar Zaman may never play for Pakistan again if Sharjeel Khan makes his international comeback.
Sharjeel recently made his Pakistan Super League (PSL) comeback after serving two-and-a-half years of a five-year ban he received for his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in the 2017 PSL.
In this year’s PSL, the 30-year-old, who played for the Karachi Kings, scored 199 runs at an average of 24.87 and a strike-rate of 144.20.
As for Zaman, he represented the Lahore Qalandars in nine matches and accumulated 246 runs at an average of 27.33 and a strike-rate of 132.97.
However, Latif believes that if Sharjeel loses weight, improves his fitness and returns to the national team, Zaman “might be written off and his career might come to an end”.
“Sharjeel is not looking fit if you look at his physique. Anyone who makes a comeback after three years will look a little heavy,” Latif said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan. “Sharjeel needs to quickly shed his weight and get fit. This is actually a plus point for Sharjeel as no one is talking about his performance, which means once he gets fit, he can fit into the team as well.
“However, if Sharjeel comes back, then Fakhar Zaman might be written off and his career might come to an end.”
Meanwhile, Latif is also worried that the national players’ fitness levels will become like Sharjeel’s “after two to three months of lockdown”.
“Since matches are not taking place, every player will be like Sharjeel after two to three months of lockdown,” Latif said. “Those who performed in [the] PSL, will their form be the same after four months? In cricket, if you are not able to practice for a long period of time, then everyone will be at the same place and level.”
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