Mohammad Wasim: “All he needs to do, as and when he is given a chance, is to show that he is a good wicket-taking option in all forms of the game”
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Northern head coach Mohammad Wasim believes spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan can be a star for Pakistan in all three formats.
Wasim believes that Shadab has already proven his worth in limited overs cricket, but needs to do the same in Test cricket.
But, he doesn’t expect it to be a challenge for the 22-year-old given how talented he is.
In fact, Wasim thinks that Shadab is the kind of player Pakistan are lacking in Test cricket and added that he can bat at any position, which will come in handy.
“Shadab has already proven himself in One-Day and T20 cricket. But the real challenge for him is in red-ball cricket which he can easily do because he has what we lack in Pakistan at the moment,” Wasim told PakPassion. “We don’t see too many spinners in the game nowadays although the likes of Zahid Mahmood, Nauman Ali and Kashif Bhatti have impressed in recent times.
“But overall, the quality of finger spinners and leg-spinners in domestic cricket is something we have lacked in the last few years. Especially when we talk about leg-spinners there is a huge question mark, which is best exemplified by the form of Yasir Shah in the past few months. This is where Shadab Khan’s presence is important as he is being prepared as a back-up to Yasir Shah in red-ball cricket.
“As a batsman, you can use him at any suitable position. He can bat higher up the order or come lower down as a finisher and is as versatile as it gets. He has three fifties in Tests which speaks volumes about his batting abilities in red-ball cricket, but I feel he still has some way to go before we call him a finished product.
“He hasn’t played too many red-ball games for us at Northern and what he needs to do now is to bowl long spells because whilst he has the variations, he does need to develop patience. This is important in the longer form of the game because unlike in white-ball cricket where the batsman is always after you and is likely to make a mistake, a different mindset is needed to bowl in red-ball cricket.
“Here, the batsman is biding his time and waiting for a bad ball. So, as a spinner you are expected to show patience and bowl good overs consistently which can be a challenge, but I do feel Shadab can do that. He has the talent and his fitness is good and all he needs to do, as and when he is given a chance, is to show that he is a good wicket-taking option in all forms of the game.”
Dwayne Leverock