Saqlain Mushtaq: “Wasim Jnr and Zaman Khan can perform on the same level as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Saqlain Mushtaq, the legendary Pakistan spinner, believes Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Zaman Khan “can perform on the same level as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.”
Wasim Jnr and Zaman are back-up bowlers right now, but Mushtaq feels that they can have the same sort of impact as Naseem and Rauf.
With the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India right around the corner, Pakistan will need a few pace bowlers in their squad and it is likely that Wasim Jnr and Zaman will make the cut.
Considering how long the tournament is, the men in green may need to rotate their bowlers around and this is where the young duo can shine and stamp their authority.
“Wasim Jnr and Zaman Khan can perform on the same level as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf,” Mushtaq was quoted as saying by Cricwick on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan recently beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series before taking down Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
They then featured in the Asia Cup, where Rauf took nine wickets in four games at an average of 13.33, while Naseem finished with seven wickets in four matches at an average of 20.
Wasim Jnr and Zaman played in the must-win match against Sri Lanka, but both went wicketless.
Pakistan started their campaign with a 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was ruined by rain.
Despite this, they made it to the Super Four stage and cruised past Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, things began to fall apart for them from this point as they lost to India by 228 runs.
Pakistan still had an opportunity to qualify for the Asia Cup final, but they failed to do so as Sri Lanka beat them by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
Rauf suffered a right flank injury during the loss to India, but is expected to be fit in time for the World Cup.
As for Naseem, he injured his shoulder in the same match, but could be ruled out of the World Cup, Pakistan’s tour of Australia at the end of the year, and possibly the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well.
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