Ahmed Shehzad: “We have seen that he has such a height, which can help him extract bounce, which other spinners can’t, so Usama can be effective”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ahmed Shehzad, the top order batsman, has called on Pakistan to select spinner Usama Mir for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India as he “can be effective” in those conditions.
Shehzad noted that the 27-year-old from Sialkot is capable of getting extra bounce that other spinners can’t since he is 6ft 2ins tall.
Due to his unique advantage, he believes Mir should be one of Pakistan’s go-to spinners in the World Cup.
“There are some players that I like personally. Usama Mir is one of them,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “Where there are batting-friendly pitches in India, we have seen that he has such a height, which can help him extract bounce, which other spinners can’t, so Usama can be effective.”
Mir didn’t feature in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but took one wicket in two ODIs at an average of 79 and an economy rate of 6.07.
He is part of Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing Asia Cup, but has not played a match yet.
The men in green have done well in the tournament so far as they crushed Nepal by 238 runs, shared one point apiece with India after their match was abandoned due to rain, and thrashed Bangladesh by seven wickets. However, their momentum was halted when they suffered a 228-run loss to India in the Super Four stage.
Pakistan will be looking to bounce back in their next Super Four match against Sri Lanka on September 14 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir