Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan: “I am completely fit and will do my best in [the] next QeA Trophy to make a comeback in the Test side – I played Tests against England and my performance was [so-so], but I will try my best to make a comeback”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan revealed that he wants his spot back in the Test team.
Knowing that he won’t be able to walk back into the side, Shadab made it clear that he is ready to go through the proper channels to feature in the longest format again.
With his last Test coming in August 2020, the 22-year-old is ready to prove himself in the next edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
“I am completely fit and will do my best in [the] next QeA Trophy to make a comeback in the Test side – I played Tests against England and my performance was [so-so], but I will try my best to make a comeback,” Shadab was quoted as saying by PakPassion.
While he has his sights on a Test return, Shadab’s next assignment will be the tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe, for which he is part of Pakistan’s ODI and T20 squads.
The spinner missed Pakistan’s home series against South Africa with a thigh injury, but made his comeback in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained Islamabad United.
In the four games he played, the 22-year-old scored 32 runs at an average of eight and a strike-rate of 110.34.
He also took two wickets at an average of 56.50 and an economy rate of 8.69.
Pakistan will play three ODIs and four T20 Internationals against South Africa before heading to Zimbabwe for two Tests and three T20 Internationals.
Pakistan will depart for South Africa on March 26 and the tour will commence on April 2 and conclude on April 16. The ODI series will be played first.
The men in green will then head to Zimbabwe on April 17, but the dates for the matches have yet to be confirmed.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) noted that the national team will travel back to Lahore from Bulawayo on May 12.
Pakistan’s ODI Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir, Hasan Ali.
Pakistan’s T20 Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal.