Misbah-ul-Haq: “In one-day cricket [List A], he averages close to 57, scored a lot of centuries. And then the way he has performed in county cricket, his performances in the PSL, he deserves a place”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said opening batsman Shan Masood deserves a place in the national team.
Masood was recalled to the Test side for the recently-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
Despite being in sublime form, he wasn’t included in the playing XI for both Tests, which baffled a lot of people.
Misbah questioned why the 32-year-old was overlooked and pointed out that he has been performing well in domestic cricket as well.
“In one-day cricket [List A], he averages close to 57, scored a lot of centuries. And then the way he has performed in county cricket, his performances in the PSL, he deserves a place,” the ex-chief selector told Jazz Cricket as quoted by Cricwick.
Prior to the Sri Lanka series, Masood had been representing Derbyshire in England, where he was a force to be reckoned with.
In eight County Championship matches, he scored 1,074 runs, which included three centuries and four fifties, at an average of 82.61.
His unbelievable form continued in the T20 Blast as he struck 547 runs in 14 games, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 45.58 and a strike-rate of 139.89.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match ODI series against the Netherlands in Rotterdam, which will be held from August 16 to 21.
Once that series concludes, they will head to the UAE for the Asia Cup, which will be played from August 27 to September 11.
Pakistan squad for Netherlands ODIs:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir