Misbah-ul-Haq: “The moment you need him, you have someone on the bench who is equally good”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said batsman Shan Masood is “equally good” as anyone else in the national team.
Masood was recently recalled for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but watched both matches from the bench.
This came as a surprise to quite a few people, especially considering how well the 32-year-old had done while playing county cricket in England for Derbyshire.
Masood amassed 1,074 runs in eight County Championship matches, which included three centuries and four fifties, at an average of 82.61.
He was also a dominant force in the T20 Blast, where he smashed 547 runs in 14 games, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 45.58 and a strike-rate of 139.89.
Misbah noted that having a player of Masood’s quality in the team is essential as he can easily slot into the playing XI should anything happen.
“The moment you need him, you have someone on the bench who is equally good,” the former Pakistan head coach told Jazz Cricket as quoted by Cricwick.
Pakistan won the first Test against Sri Lanka by four wickets, but succumbed to a 246-run loss in the second match.
Masood was not picked for Pakistan’s tour of the Netherlands or the Asia Cup.
The men in green will play three ODIs against the Netherlands in Rotterdam from August 16 to 21.
As for the Asia Cup, it will run from August 27 to September 11 in the UAE.
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
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