Shadab Khan: “After the World Cup, I will play four-day cricket, and I will try my best to perform well there, then I will aim for Test matches. Until I play four-day cricket, I cannot play Test matches”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shadab Khan, the Pakistan spinner, knows that he has no chance of playing Test cricket until he makes a return to first-class cricket at the domestic level.
He noted that his plan is to do just that after the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
The 24-year-old has not played first-class cricket since August 2020, which is coincidentally the last time he played a Test match.
Shadab knows that if he performs well on the domestic circuit, it will lead to the national selectors recalling him to the Test side.
“After the World Cup, I will play four-day cricket, and I will try my best to perform well there, then I will aim for Test matches. Until I play four-day cricket, I cannot play Test matches,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
The Mianwali native did not feature in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but did take four wickets in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at an average of 23.75.
Right now, Shadab is representing the men in green in the Asia Cup and has snapped up five wickets in four games at an average of 38.
Pakistan started the tournament on a high as they pummelled Nepal by 238 runs before sharing one point apiece with India after rain ruined their highly-anticipated clash.
Despite this, the men in green made it through to the Super Fours and battered Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, their unbeaten run was stopped when they lost to India by 228 runs.
Pakistan’s next fixture will see them face 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, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir