Shadab Khan: “If Usama fails to perform in some matches, then dropping him would be [an] injustice to him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shadab Khan, the Pakistan limited overs vice-captain, believes it “would be [an] injustice” if fellow spinner Usama Mir were to be dropped from the national team after failing to perform in a few matches.
He feels the 27-year-old should be given enough time to stamp his authority and prove that he belongs to be in the Pakistan team.
So far, Mir has claimed 11 wickets in eight ODIs at an average of 35.09.
“If Usama fails to perform in some matches, then dropping him would be [an] injustice to him,” Shadab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Mir did not play in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but he did feature in two ODIs against Afghanistan and finished with one wicket at an average of 79.
The Sialkot native was included in Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup, but he didn’t get the chance to play in any of the matches.
Shadab, meanwhile, featured in all five games Pakistan played and snapped up six wickets at an average of 40.83.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was ruined by rain.
Having qualified for the Super Four stage, the men in green defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets.
Next up was a clash with India again, but Pakistan suffered their first loss as they were demolished by 228 runs.
Despite this, they still had a chance to reach the Asia Cup final, but fell short in their bid to do so as Sri Lanka beat them by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 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