Saqlain Mushtaq: “Look I don’t think it is a big issue. People are exaggerating this. He [Khushdil] is very confident and enjoying his cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq called all the criticism coming the way of big-hitting batsman Khushdil Shah nothing more than a big exaggeration.
Khushdil, who was given the opportunity to cement his spot as Pakistan’s first-choice power-hitter and finisher, has been targeted for his lack of form.
The 27-year-old last played for the men in green during their seven-match T20 series against England late last year.
He featured in five of those matches and scored 63 runs at an average of 21 and a strike-rate of 112.50.
Even though the statistics don’t look impressive, Saqlain insisted that Khushdil “is very confident and enjoying his cricket”.
“Look I don’t think it is a big issue. People are exaggerating this. He [Khushdil] is very confident and enjoying his cricket,” the legendary spinner was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
READ MORE: Younis Khan says Khushdil Shah looks very strong when batting
Currently, Pakistan are taking on New Zealand in a two-Test series, which is tied at 0-0 after the first Test finished as a draw.
With the second and final match having started on Monday in Karachi, both teams have their sights firmly set on victory.
After the Test series concludes, Pakistan and New Zealand will play three ODIs, which starts on January 9.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Zahid Mahmood
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